Survival of the Battlestar Stryker
by Wes Imlay
Summary: Battlestar Stryker is set to decommission and make its journey to the scrap yard. The Cylon attack changes those plans and now the battlestar is in a fight for its life against overwhelming odds.
1. Chapter 1: Kiss the Past Goodbye

**Survival of the Battlestar Stryker:**

**Written by: Wes Imlay**

**(Author's Note: This story has some characters and elements from my 'Stryker Chronicles' story, but is set in the same universe as my 'Battlestar Victorious' series and other stories here on . )**

**Chapter One: ****Kiss the Past Goodbye:**

**Battlestar Stryker (BS-96)**

**Three Days Before the Fall:**

**Commander's Quarters:**

"How was the ride from the _Warlock_?" Commander Jason Aeneas asked the man sitting across the table from him.

"Not too bad, my crewmates and I were surprised to learn we had been selected for the assignment," Colonel Jerome Cyprian said.

"Fleet Headquarters wanted you and your people onboard the _Stryker _sooner than planned," Aeneas began as he pulled a set of orders that he had received, "Colonel Sarah Graham will take over for the inactivation of the _Warlock_ while you and Colonel Bradford will oversee the decommissioning of the _Stryker_."

"Will that affect the commissioning of the new _Stryker_?" Cyprian asked.

"The senior staff and I are heading to the dock where the _Stryker_ now sits to help get things up and going; this is a unique commissioning ceremony taking place. You will have command of this _Stryker_ and then when this one is decommissioned you will oversee the decommissioning and inactivation process."

The plan was to do a dual commissioning and decommissioning ceremony for both _Strykers_. The crew of the old _Stryker_ would decommission the ship and then walk across the dock to commission the new _Stryker_.

"That won't be a problem for the crew and I, we'll make sure the old girl is taken care of," Cyprian said.

"Considering the plans for her, that may not be necessary," Aeneas said as he pulled out a large brown folder and passed it to Cyprian, "This is a list of items requested by the Stryker Museum on Aquaria and the Stryker Memorial on Picon. Most can be packaged and sent off while this Battlestar _Stryker_ is inactivated."

Cyprian took the folder and took out a list that went on for several pages. The Stryker Museum was located in New Aquarius on the colony of Aquaria. The oceanic world was the home colony of the legendary Fleet Admiral Jonas Ingram Stryker, the man who led the charge to combine the military forces of the twelve colonies into a single fighting force.

The Stryker Memorial was on Picon, where Stryker spent most of his life during and after the Cylon War. Aquaria was where Stryker was buried when he passed away, but Picon had adopted the admiral as one of its honorary citizens. Now that the first battlestar named after him was being decommissioned and sent to the scrap yard both wanted pieces of the ship to display.

"In that case, I'll do it as a matter of professional pride," Cyprian said, it seemed a shame that the Colonial Fleet was so eager to send the _Orion_-class battlestar to the scrap yard but with the name being used for the new _Stryker_-class heavy battlestar it was something that needed to be done in light of the cuts being done to the fleet by the Adar Administration.

"The work you did on the _Dragon_, _Romulus_, _Temeraire_, _Nicopolis_, _Patera_, and the _Achaea_ was praised by Admiral Bennett," Aeneas said. Rear Admiral Patrick Bennett had been in charge of the Bureau of Ships for the past three years, having replaced Rear Admiral Scott Tolan when he had been given command of Battlestar Group 66.

The _Romulus_ was a Fleet Command Battlestar and bore enough of a resemblance to the _Atlantia_ that the two were grouped together as a class. Due to the budget cuts to the Colonial Fleet it was decided that only one would be needed and _Romulus_ was the one chosen to be taken out of service. The _Dragon_ was from the older _Indra_-class of battlestars and had been the last of its kind still in service. The _Temeraire_, sister ship of the _Stryker_, was the first of the _Orion_-class battlestars to other three battlestars mentioned were escort battlestars from the _Orianos_-class that dated back to the Cylon War. Unlike other members of their class they had actually been modernized over time and were still considered to be of use to the Fleet.

"It's a shame to have to take the ships out of service but it's best that the job is done right in case we need them again," Cyprian said. He might have been in the minority but he had heard too many stories from his parents about their lives during the Cylon War. It had been when he had turned fourteen that his parents decided to relate their experiences in the Colonial Army fighting on Tauron against the Cylons. He barely remembered the last four years of the Cylon War though that may have been a blessing. His parents had kept him with his grandparents on Gemenon while they were fighting the Cylons so he never really experienced the war from where he spent the first four years of his life. He was now forty-four though he looked younger than that due to a combination of good genes and luck.

"Indeed, well with this out of the way why don't you go to the Mess and get some food while my items are loaded onto the transport shuttle that brought you here," Aeneas said as he stood up and offered Cyprian a handshake, "Congratulations on your new command, as temporary as it might be, and send the old girl off properly."

"Thank you Commander, we'll see you at the ceremony for the new _Stryker_," Cyprian said as he released Aeneas' hand and left the room to go find the Officers Mess.

Cyprian closed the hatch and began walking aft towards the Mess. He did not notice the officer who walked up to him.

"How'd it go with Aeneas?" Lieutenant Colonel Cecil Bradford asked as he caught up with Cyprian.

"In about an hour he'll be on his way to the new _Stryker_ and we take care of things here until the decommissioning, it's a bigger job than the _Warlock_," Cyprian said as he mentally checked off the differences between the _Warlock_ and the _Stryker_.

"It's a larger ship than the _Warlock_ so naturally it's going to be a bigger job. What's our first order of business?" Bradford asked.

"We're going to get some dinner from the Mess and go over the list of everything the two Stryker museums are going to get off of the ship," Cyprian wondered how much of a fight there was going to be between the Aquaria and Picon museums, it was though they were two dogs fighting over a piece of prime rib steak.

**CAG's Office:**

"As you know, in three days the formal decommissioning of the _Stryker_ will take place. That will be followed by the immediate commissioning of the new Battlestar _Stryker_," Major Irene Artemisia said to the five Viper squadron commanders and the three Raptor squadron commanders.

"I know my pilots are ready for the ceremony," Captain James Sykes announced.

"You may think that, but I have doubts about mine," Captain William Sutherland said.

"I think that's because you always have doubts about your pilots," Captain Caitlyn Raborn.

"Only because I don't want them to get complacent," Sutherland shot back.

"Will the two of you knock it off, we're under enough pressure to get this right without the two of you at each other's throats," Artemisia said before things could escalate.

"Any other developments we need to know about?" Captain Edwin Guerrero asked.

Artemisia nodded, "Ensign Paul Stryker, Admiral Stryker's grandson, will be arriving later this morning from the battlestar _Poseidon_. He's going to take part in the flyover with my squadron."

The rest of the meeting involved going over the plans for the air group. They would all fly over the old _Stryker_ before landing on the new one, something quick and easy enough if all of the pilots were prepared. Artemisia had little reason to worry; she was only carrying on the work of the previous CAG. Major Kaspar Vidar had already left to help coordinate the ceremony from the new _Stryker_. When this was over she had her new assignment waiting for her as CAG of the soon-to-be commissioned _Stryker_-class battlestar _Kronus_, the first ship named in honor of the retired Fleet Admiral John Kronus.

**Three Hours Later:**

**Commander's Quarters:**

"Looks like you've settled in nicely," Bradford said as he examined the few decorations that Cyprian had put up since taking residence.

"The quarters are bigger than the ones I had on the _Warlock_," Cyprian noted.

"Do you ever feel like we're just nomads living from one ship to the next, it's like we're always passing through," Bradford said as he poured himself a glass of water.

"Sometimes it's like we're in some sort of military hotel and we're just renting space until we move on."

"I think this is the largest assignment we've had so far, or at least the most high-profile one. We get to send the first battlestar named for Admiral Stryker into retirement, not that it's going to be a hard job since she's going straight to the scrap yard," Bradford said after taking a drink of water.

"The work is steady, and perhaps it will keep my name in the running whenever the time comes to replace Bennett one day."

"It's not a bad idea when you put it like that, just make sure I get moved along up with you. Right now you are temporarily in command here and I'm the XO."

There was a buzzing at the hatch, Cyprian pressed the button for the intercom and announced that the person at the hatch could enter. The wheel spun around and the hatch opened, allowing a lieutenant to enter.

"Commander Cyprian, I'm Lieutenant Rajesh Suman. I'll be your Communications Officer until after the decommissioning," Suman said as he stood at attention.

"At ease Lieutenant Suman, I'm glad to have you here. Any chatter I need to be aware of?" Cyprian asked.

"I received a message from the transport shuttle _Richland_ will be docking with us at 01:35 in order to deliver the delegation for the ceremonies. It is expected that they will be given a guided tour of the _Stryker_ during the three days it will take us to arrive at the dock," Suman said.

"Who are the dignitaries for this? I thought they would head directly to the dock for the ceremony," Cyprian said, he really was not a big fan of surprises. Growing up on Virgon, his parents would always make the comment that in their experience surprises meant a sign of trouble.

"The members of the Stryker family will be on hand as well as various dignitaries. Specifically from Aquaria and Picon, the other ten worlds are sending representatives as a token of appreciation to Admiral Stryker. President Adar has sent word that he will be sending Assistant Secretary of the Fleet Alvaro Sanchez," Suman said giving the gist of the message he had received. Being so close to the President meant that Sanchez often got some of the flak from the people in the Colonial Fleet whose livelihood was threatened by Adar's sweeping cuts.

"I have yet to meet the rest of my senior staff besides yourself, who is on watch in the CIC?"

"That would be Lieutenant Rebekka Stotland, she'll be going over to the _Stryker_ to take up the same position while I will not," Suman said.

One of Cyprian's eyebrows arched, "Is there a reason why?"

"I've started the paperwork to resign my commission in the Colonial Fleet. I have an uncle back home on Caprica who passed away and in his will left his Caprica Beach business to me."

Bradford whistled, "I can't fault you for doing that, especially when you'll be living at Caprica Beach."

"I would try to disagree with my XO here but he's got a point, I don't fault you for that Mr. Suman but I am glad to have you here for the next few days."

Suman made his exit from the room and it was then that Cyprian opened up the list of items that were to be removed from the battlestar after it was decommissioned.

"Anything of interest?" Bradford asked.

"Both museums get one of the flight pod name plates, each want equipment from the engine room," Cyprian looked before his eyes widened in amusement, "It looks like there's going to be a war for which one gets to reassemble the CIC, at least there's more than one ready room for them to get their hands on, and the list of requests goes on and on."

"You're sort of a part-time museum curator this time around," Bradford joked.

The terminal on the desk beeped and immediately began printing out a piece of paper. Cyprian took it out and looked it over.

"Does it bring good or bad tidings?" Bradford asked.

"Let's just say when we're done with the inactivation we now have a destination. For the sum of one hundred and ten thousand cubits, the soon-to-be ex-Battlestar _Stryker_ has been sold to the Heraclea Salvage Company."

"The Bureau of Ships didn't waste any time selling the ship off did they?" Bradford asked with a degree of incredulity in his voice.

Cyprian shook his head, "The sooner they can make money off of scrapping the ship the better.

"I suppose that's one advantage we have with our line of work, we don't have the time to develop an emotional attachment to these ships," Bradford said.

Cyprian did not answer, he looked at his watch to see what time it was, "It's now 19:26 so I'm going to get some shuteye before our guests arrive and I have to play tour-guide."

"Enjoy your nap, I'm going to the CIC to see how the crew there is doing," Bradford said as he got out of his chair and left the room.

Port Flight Pod:

"This is Viper 7518, coming in for landing on the Port Flight Pod hands-off approach," Ensign Paul 'Torch' Stryker said to the LSO.

"Roger that Viper 7518, prepare for hands-off," the LSO's voice said. "Datalink is secure, we have control!"

Stryker felt the steering tighten up as though the controls had been taken from him by some unseen hands, the auto-landing system had engaged and he was going in. He relaxed his body, feeling both a sense of anticipation and dread mixed together. Just this morning he was on his battlestar, the _Poseidon_, set for a day of battlestar qualifications.

There were plenty of great perks to being the grandson of the legendary Admiral Jonas Stryker, but the expectations could be enough to overwhelm most people. Here he was doing all he could to live up to a legacy, his brother Joseph was doing the same though he was only a sophomore at the Fleet Academy, and he hoped he was doing enough to carry on the Stryker name.

The Viper entered the flight pod and came to rest on one of the magnetic lifts; he closed his eyes as the descent into the hangar began. He opened his eyes as the Viper was pulled onto the hangar deck, where the operator of the towing vehicle parked him in a nearby spot. A ladder was attached and the cockpit covering was removed. Stryker stepped onto the ladder and made his way down to the deck below.

"Ensign Stryker, welcome onboard the _Stryker_," the deck chief said as she came to attention and saluted.

Stryker returned the salute, "Thank you Chief. What's your name?"

"Senior Chief Alice Johnston at your service," she said.

"How come you're not on the new _Stryker_ getting everything ready for the commissioning?" he asked.

"I've been on this ship for the past five years, I want to send her off into retirement before I take my new posting," Johnston said with no small amount of pride in her voice.

"I see you made it onboard in one piece," a woman's voice called out over the noise of the various maintenance jobs being carried out on the Vipers and Raptors.

Stryker turned to see a woman in a blue officer uniform. It took him a second but he recognized who she was.

"Well if it isn't Two Shots," he said with a smile as he walked up to her.

"Well if it isn't Torch," Ensign Chelsea 'Two Shots' Ware said as she gave him a hug.

"I don't know my way around here, which squadron am I flying with?" he asked.

"I'm your escort for this little trip," she said.

"Let me guess you knew I was coming and promptly volunteered for it?" he asked with a mischievous smile.

Ware gave him a confused look, "What makes you think I volunteered? I simply drew the short straw in the squadron so here I am."

"That's what I get for making assumptions," he said as he tried not to laugh.

"Yeah, you sons-of-legends really need to work on not thinking so highly of your opinions," Ware said.

"You're a fine one to be talking Chelsea, you're in the same boat as I am," Stryker said.

"As of this moment in more ways than one," Ware said as they both started to laugh. They both came from famous military families. His grandfather was Admiral Jonas Stryker while her grandfather was Admiral Gary Ware; it seemed between the two of them it was an understanding of the world they both grew up in that helped them to become close.

"We'd better leave before we get run over by one of these knuckle-draggers," Stryker said as he motioned for Ware to lead the way.

"Right," she said as she walked over to a set of stairs that led to one of the corridors that would take them away from the hangar."

"I haven't seen you since graduation, how are you and what's-his-name?" Stryker asked her.

"His name is Joel, and to answer your question…we broke up when I was back home on Tauron a few months ago," Ware said as she called for a group of crewmembers to make a hole.

"Sorry to hear that, what happened?" Stryker asked.

"I came home to our apartment to find that the future Dr. Joel Flynn was practicing how to give a breast exam to a woman whose name I didn't know. Let's just say he seemed to be enjoying giving the exam a bit too much," Ware said and for a moment she was sure Stryker saw the anger in her eyes the memory brought back.

"Wow, well you could always send your family after him to teach him a lesson," Stryker said as they turned a corner.

"He's not worth wasting my time over. What about you and that woman you brought to the party we threw after we graduated?"

Stryker shrugged, "It was one of those things that didn't work out."

Ware turned her head around enough to give him a look, "You are so forthcoming, Paul."

"She started wanting to move things further than I was ready for. She wanted to move in with me and we'd barely been together for a year, do you know what my family would have thought of that?"

"I'm sure it'd have been fine, not like you were causing a scandal that would have tarnished the great Stryker family name," Ware said to him.

"Like you didn't tarnish the Ware family name the night of the party when you earned your nickname and call sign," Stryker retorted.

"I think it was that cold medicine I took that day, the ambrosia must have counter-acted with it or something," Ware said. She had two shots of ambrosia and had become sick after drinking it. Because of that when she and a group of her fellow graduated were assigned to the Stryker the name 'Two Shots' had followed her.

_**Stryker**_** Viper Squadron One Ready Room: **

The Viper Ready Room is a unique place. It is a collection of various personalities all forced to intermix and react from one another. Ready Room One was no different and was currently occupied by some of the pilots from the squadron engaged in various activities.

Major Irene Artemisia was in her adjoining office having a talk with another officer, Stryker assumed by the pips on the man's collar.

"I read about the CAG, who are the other people?" Stryker asked.

"The officer in the office with the CAG is Captain Ryan Eaton, the XO of the squadron," Ware said as she pointed to Artemisia's office.

"What about the group over there?" Stryker asked as he pointed to a group of pilots playing Triad.

"The group over there playing Triad is Ensigns Marcella 'Scorch' George, Samantha 'Sugar' Sears, Thomas 'Tank' Murray, Gordon 'Sandman' Caswell, and Lloyd 'Rascal' Jackson. They came over here with me six months ago when we got posted here. The pilots we replaced are training over on the _Titan_," Ware said.

"What about the group over there watching the movie?" Stryker said as he pointed to a group watching the Neveah Ratliff movie 'Noble Causes'.

He saw a scene of the movie that was taking place on the hangar deck of the _'Achilles'_ but he was not sure which battlestar the scene had been filmed on. He had recalled reading an article about the movie being filmed on the _Athena_ and the _Cerberus_.

"Lieutenants Woodrow 'Flex' Graham, Grazio 'Condor' Lanciere, Brett 'Bull' Brewer, Daniel 'Sparky' Sparks, Keith 'Thumper' Blackwell, and Caitlin 'Trax' Stephenson," Ware said as she waited to introduce Stryker to more of the pilots.

"What about the group of pilots sitting over there watching the Colonial Fleet News Channel?"

"Lieutenants Sharlene 'Runner' Salas, Nico 'Lightning' Bautista, Spyro 'Raven' Tryphon, and Lieutenant Aria 'Dice' Antonella are sitting together in their little group. The rest are Ensigns Janice 'Dragonfly' Greene, Jennifer 'Vapor' McNeil, Jessica 'Whiplash' McKnight, Nalani 'Hawk' Haukea, Lieutenant, and Claudio 'Razor' Roma; now those are all the pilots that are here right now. The rest are probably in their racks at the moment. I know you're only going to be here for three days but I think you'll be able to get to know most of them," Ware said as she motioned for Stryker to follow her into the room.

The heads of some of the pilots turned when the pair entered the ready room, it seemed they were sizing him up to determine their opinion of him.

When they reached the office Ware knocked on the door, "Major, I've brought Ensign Stryker."

"Thank you Miss Ware," Artemisia said before motioning for Stryker to come in.

"I'll be waiting for you, when you're done we can get a bite to eat at the mess," Ware said to Stryker as she walked away.

"Close the hatch," Artemisia said to Stryker.

"Yes ma'am," he said as he turned to close the hatch. When it was close he saluted the Major, "Ensign Paul Stryker reporting for duty."

Artemisia returned the salute, "Have a seat Mr. Stryker, I take it everything has gone well since you arrived."

Stryker took a seat and nodded, "The auto-landing system worked fine and I had no issues since I've come onboard."

"That's good to hear, scuttlebutt was that the hands-on system was going to be taken offline but Commander Aeneas thought it would be better to keep it operational until the day of the decommissioning," she said.

"I must say for an older battlestar she's been well-cared for," Stryker said. He had been a young boy when he had attended the christening and launch of the battlestar. Now he was a Viper pilot and had been selected to help send the ship into retirement.

"Like most of the _Orion_-class she was given an overhaul and modernization, but politics being what they are…I know your grandfather would have disapproved."

Stryker nodded, "In the few years before he died he had little to say about Adar that was 'polite', it seemed the two of them had a falling out around the time the 'Fleet Reduction Plan' was put into effect. I guess that's the curse of peace. We get so used to it that we seem to forget that only four decades ago we were on the brink of annihilation and think that its ok not to spend money on defense because to do so would destroy our belief that peace really is just that."

President Richard Adar's 'Fleet Reduction Plan' was proposed as a way to 'eliminate the excesses of the Colonial Fleet but still leave it as a fighting force capable of defending the Twelve Colonies'. It rejected the main tenets of the Stryker Doctrine, in particular the rule about the need for two hundred and forty active battlestars, in favor of an approach that would reduce the Fleet's strength in terms of numbers of active ships and personnel.

In truth it was this plan that led to the evolution of the _Titan_-class and _Stryker_-class battlestars. Twice the size of the _Mercury_-class, and able to carry twice the air group, it seemed these immense vessels would solve the Admiralty's problems and make the Adar Administration happy. One of the reasons why the Administration was happy with the design was the fact that despite their size they were only marginally costlier to build than a _Mercury_-class because of the use of proven methods and materials.

"I'll give you some time to get situated onboard. You'll need time to practice with the squadron for the flyover during both of the ceremonies. It's good to have you onboard with us Mr. Stryker, I know it goes without saying but I've always been an admirer of your grandfather," Artemisia said as she shook hands with Stryker.

"Thank you Major, it's an honor to be onboard," he said as he left the office.

**01:35 Hours:**

**Battlestar **_**Stryker**_** CIC:**

"This is the transport shuttle _Richland _to the battlestar _Stryker_, do you copy?" the voice of the pilot said to Lieutenant Suman.

"_Richland_ this is _Stryker_, we hear you loud and clear," Suman said.

Cyprian took his eyes off of the DRADIS screen and looked over at Suman, "Have the _Richland_ land on the starboard flight pod, we'll attach an umbilical to their airlock and the passengers can disembark from there."

Suman nodded his understanding and began to relay Cyprian's instructions to the _Richland's_ pilot.

"Docking should be complete in ten to fifteen minutes, Secretary Sanchez requests that you meet him at the airlock whenever he and the rest of the passengers disembark," Suman announced.

"Very good, have the pilot send over a passenger manifest. I want to know who all is going to board my ship," Cyprian said.

Moments later came the sound of paper printing out over at the Communications Console. Suman pulled the printed paper out and handed it over to Cyprian, "This is a list of the passengers who will be boarding. He had done some preliminary research on the Stryker family, to get a better feel for the people he would be ferrying out to the new battlestar for the dual ceremonies.

One name caught his eye and his mind let loose a mental scream of frustration.

"You know if you grip that rail any tighter you might actually snap it in two," Bradford said as he walked up to where Cyprian was standing.

"I think we're going to have to be on our best behavior when one of the Stryker family boards," Cyprian said when he finally got his composure back to where he could talk like he normally would.

"Why do you say that?" Bradford asked though he had a feeling he would not like what the answer would be.

"One of the members of the family is none other than Jonas Carl Stryker, one of the grandsons of Admiral Stryker," Cyprian said as he watched the realization sink in on Bradford's face.

"Frak me, not that bastard," Bradford said as he practically spat the words.

Cyprian nodded, "Yes the pacifist himself is going to be here for at least one of the ceremonies. Five cubits will get you ten if you can guess which one."

"Yeah, he wants to see this ship decommissioned and sent off to the scrap yard where it can be torn apart. Not just because it's a warship but because it bears the name of his grandfather, who from everything that's been said and written is a man he despises," Bradford said.

He had read the same reports on the Stryker family that Cyprian had received and Carl Stryker was a man he would have loved to have shot out of an airlock. He was the member of the Stryker family who had published a book that placed the blame for the Cylon War on the Colonies, even going so far as to insinuate that his grandfather was no hero but instead a warmonger who should have faced a war crimes trial along with other members of the military. He had organized so many protests at various military installations, and according to the rumor mill had organized a protest that was to take place at the commissioning/decommissioning ceremony in three days.

"Knowing this, I wish I'd have just stayed on the _Warlock_ and given someone else the job on this ship," Cyprian said before letting out a sigh of resignation.

"Remember if you need a witness to vouch for your temporary insanity you know I have your back," Bradford said as he patted Cyprian on the back.

"Thanks," Cyprian said as he left the CIC and made his way down the corridor to the access stairs that would take him to the deck below. There was only one Stryker family member who was missing from the group and that was Joseph Stryker. The nineteen-year old was a cadet at the Fleet Academy on Picon and was helping with a training exercise for the freshmen cadets. Commander Aeneas had dispatched a Raptor to make its way to Picon and pick up Stryker up but the craft had developed engine trouble and was forced to land on the battlestar _Tulare_ for repairs.

He realized he would need to make one more stop before he met up with the Stryker family and the various dignitaries. He rounded a corner and headed towards his quarters, it would be improper for him to meet them dressed in his service uniform, this type of occasion would require him to change into his dress grays as well as attach his Commander pips since for now he was temporarily promoted to that rank.

**Twenty-Seven Minutes Later:**

**Starboard Flight Pod Airlock:**

The pilot had taken longer to get in position than anticipated, but Cyprian did not mind that so much. He stood there ready for the Stryker family and the other dignitaries who would be coming through that airlock, he was as ready mentally as he could be. Hearing that Carl Stryker was on the list just tightened his stomach into a knot of sickness. The man was nothing but disrespectful to both the military and his grandfather's legacy. Now he was going to have to be nice to the man and fight the urge to either slug him in the jaw or shoot him out of this very airlock once the transport shuttle left.

Cyprian stood at the airlock waiting for it to open; he had now looked more presentable for a formal occasion. He looked down at his leather sash at the various decorations that were pinned to it along with his flight wings. He had been a pilot most of his career, with posting among various battlestars. He had seen actual combat before, both planet-side and in space. He had been assigned to Scorpia as soon as he had graduated from Abry Military Academy during the last part of the campaign against the Green Army. His posting was to Fort Autzen and the squadron he was part of was tasked with flying over parts of the Demeter Jungle and launching missiles to either clear part of the forest for the Army and Marine forces or to take out Green Army bases in the area.

His last taste of battle had been when he was a Captain on the _Mercury_; the air group had engaged the Tauron pirate group known as the Erebea. He had earned his last combat decoration that day. Before his current assignment with the Bureau of Ships had been offered to him he had served as a Viper instructor at Vaught-Hemingway Fleet Air Station in Oxford, Caprica. He never imagined he'd be one of the people with the job of sending the battlestars of the Colonial Fleet to their last resting place or at least preparing them for that journey to the warship graveyard.

There was the sound behind the hatch of the airlock engaging, the familiar hiss letting him know that there was in fact a hard seal. He stood straight and waited for the people of the group to emerge from the other side. The hatch slid open and out stepped a young woman who looked like she could not have been far removed from college.

"Commander Jerome Cyprian," he said as he extended his hand.

The woman took his hand and shook it, "Christine Collier, I'm with the Memphis Press Scimitar on Picon."

She was the first of several journalists who had come on the transport; all in all there were fourteen of them on hand for the ceremony. It seemed their publications had assigned them to cover the decommissioning while they had a counterpart to cover the commissioning of the new _Stryker_.

All of the reporters huddled around the airlock with their respective camera people to make the normally roomy area around the airlock seem almost claustrophobic. They were all lined up to get pictures of him greeting the Stryker family as the boarded the ship. They had to wait for one other group to disembark first, which would be the thirty-eight representatives of the Picon and Aquaria Stryker Museums. Their sole purpose onboard was to inventory and catalogue items that were to be packaged up and sent to their respective museums for display.

'Gods help me if they both want the same thing, I'll go from being a Commander to being the referee of a pro-wrestling match," Cyprian thought to himself after he greeted the last of the group, his forced smile beginning to ache the corner of his lips.

The next person to step through the air lock was Governor Jarrod Franklin of Scorpia, who came through along with his group of staffers.

"Commander Cyprian, I presume," Franklin said as he extended a hand to the CO of the battlestar.

Cyprian nodded and shook Franklin's hand, "Commander Jerome Cyprian, allow me to welcome you and your people onboard the _Stryker_."

Next out of the airlock was Assistant Secretary of the Fleet Alvaro Sanchez, who came out looking as though he was dressed and styled for a high-level press conference.

"Secretary Sanchez, allow me to welcome you onboard the _Stryker_," Cyprian said as he shook hands with Sanchez.

"A pleasure to be onboard Commander, from what my sources tell me there's none better than you to send this ship into the sunset," Sanchez said.

"Thank you for the compliment," Cyprian said. Sanchez said nothing and walked down the corridor to the spot where Franklin and his staff were standing.

The next person out of the airlock caused the reporters to start buzzing about with activity. Elizabeth Stryker, the widow of Jonas Stryker, made her way out of the airlock. She was in her eighties now, but still carried herself with a sort of regality as though she was the matriarch of a proud family and was aware of it. Perhaps that was because she came from a family that had once been royalty on Picon that gave that impression.

"Mrs. Stryker," Cyprian said as he offered her his arm to help her step out of the airlock.

"Thank you Commander Cyprian," she said as she accepted his gracious offer of polite was a sound of cameras snapping on to record the moment and he was sure there would be plenty of video and photographs sent of this sent out through the Colonies.

'Perhaps the decommissioning of the _Galactica_ will overshadow this,' he thought to himself. The _Galactica_ was perhaps the most famous of the battlestars and the decision to decommission it should get the bulk of the reporting, the _Orion_-class _Stryker _was only getting all of this attention because it was named after Admiral Stryker.

There were five Stryker children, three daughters and two sons, and all of them would be here for the ceremony along with their families.

The next out was Claudia Holland, the eldest daughter of Stryker, along with her husband Randall Holland. They were accompanied by their four children; Alana, Jordan, and Archibald. Cyprian greeted them as best he could with the knowledge that every moment was being recorded for posterity. In fairness to them the four children were well behaved, perhaps out of shyness more than manners, nevertheless Cyprian was a bit uneasy at the sight of them.

The second of the Stryker daughters, Juliette Shepherd, came out of the airlock. She was accompanied by her husband, Wesley Shepherd, and their three children. She seemed to be in awe of the surroundings, as though she had never been on a battlestar before. The three children, Julia, Mia, and Ryan Shepherd seemed to be as awestruck by their surroundings as their mother was.

The last of the Stryker daughters, Tonya Ferguson, stepped out to be greeted by the sight of Cyprian and the mass of media assembled around them. She was the only one of the daughters who had not married; her marriage to media magnate Glen Ferguson had ended in a very public and bitter divorce. They had three kids together and they had accompanied their mother for this trip. The younger two, Amanda and Robert, followed their mother out and then came the eldest of the three and it was the one arrival Cyprian was not looking forward to.

It was then that perhaps the tensest moment of the day arrived. Out of the airlock came Jonas Carl Stryker, who preferred to be known as 'Carl', and he looked at his surroundings and at Cyprian with a cold disdain.

"Mr. Stryker, welcome aboard the Battlestar _Stryker_," Cyprian said as he offered a handshake.

"Go frak off," Carl said as he brushed by Cyprian leaving the Commander with his hand extended.

'We are going to have to come to an understanding before this day is done,' Cyprian thought to himself.

There was not much time to ponder that as Cedric Stryker walked out along with his wife Emilia and their two children. Two of their four children were Paul and Joseph Stryker; one had just landed his Viper on the Stryker while the other was still awaiting transport from the Fleet Academy. Along with them were their other two children, Georgia and Elizabeth.

"Will our son be joining us soon?" Cedric asked on behalf of both him and his wife.

"I've sent word to his squadron commander to have him meet us in the onboard Stryker museum. I'm sure he'll be there whenever we arrive," Cyprian said as he motioned for them to join the rest of the group.

Now was the time for the last of the Stryker children to come onboard. Major Alan Stryker, an officer in the Colonial Fleet until an injury from a shipboard accident caused him to be given a medical discharge, walked through the airlock and stepped onto the deck. Cyprian came to attention and saluted the former officer as a sign of respect.

Alan Stryker returned the compliment with a text book salute, "Thank you Commander, even after all this time I can still give a proper salute."

"It's a pleasure to have you onboard Major Stryker," Cyprian said.

It was then that his wife Lauren came out the airlock along with their five daughters; Sarah, Rachel, Rebecca, Carly and Kenly.

The reporters dispersed after he walked away. Some were going to follow the group to the onboard museum while the rest would wander the ship to take pictures and interview various crew members. As far as he was concerned they were more than welcome to it, just as long as they did not interfere with the operation of the _Stryker_ or the prep work being done for the decommissioning.

"Now if you would all be so kind as to follow me," Cyprian said as he motioned for the group to follow him down the corridor. He heard the footsteps as not only the Stryker family and dignitaries follow him but also the various reporters and camera crews who were going to find some sort of angle to use when it came time to publish this story.

**Battlestar **_**Stryker**_**, Jonas I. Stryker Onboard Museum: **

Twenty-one years while the battlestar was still in the beginning phases of construction Elizabeth Stryker proposed a space in Officers Country on the _Stryker_ be set aside as an onboard museum dedicated to her husband, it would be a place where officers could come to gain a better appreciation of their ship's namesake as well as a place where civilians could come to whenever the ship was in port and open to the public for tours.

Part of Stryker's renown was the fact that he was the driving force behind the Colonial Fleet. He was able to take twelve different militaries and form them into a single uniform fighting force that was able to hold off the deadly Cylon onslaught long enough for there to be a peace treaty hammered out between the two sides. To most it seemed only logical to include such a museum on the ship dedicated to the 'Father of the Colonial Fleet'.

Though he publicly approved of the decision, Stryker confessed that he was uncomfortable with a battlestar not only being named after him but having an onboard museum dedicated to him as well.

This large space held several exhibits from Jonas Stryker's life. The room itself was paneled in medium-colored Picon Oak. Attached to the walls were large picture frames, in each one was one of the eleven rules of the Stryker Doctrine. Also in a large oak frame were the various medals and commendations Stryker had earned throughout his distinguished military career. When the current _Stryker_ was taken out of service one of the first jobs was to disassemble the room and move it over to the new _Stryker_.

The group came into the room, the reporters and camera crews taking positions along the walls of the room. Cyprian waited for them to file in and get settled, his eyes focused on the various items displayed around the room. There was one of Stryker's uniforms that were now worn by a mannequin in a display case; near it was a large model of the battlestar _Leonidas_. The _Leonidas_ had the distinction of being Stryker's flagship during the Cylon War; its loss to the scrap yard was still seen as somewhat of an embarrassment. Right beside it was a painting of the Aquaria Space Fleet Battleship _Aquarius_ that Stryker served on when the Cylon War broke out and above it was a picture of Jonas with Commander Alan Wallace on Jonas and Elizabeth's wedding day.

"I know I have said this before but I wanted to thank you all again for attending the upcoming ceremony where we will retire this fine ship and breathe life into a new one that much like this one bears the great name Stryker," Cyprian said and almost shot a warning glare towards Carl Stryker but thought better of it.

"Before I go further I have been given a request by Mrs. Elizabeth Stryker to have our chaplain say a prayer and I feel that it is best we do that," Cyprian said as he moved to the side to let Charles Brannon move to the center of the room.

"Everyone please bow their heads," Brannon requested and most of those in the room did as they were told.

"Lords of Kobol hear our prayers. We thank you for bringing us here for the point of remembering a life and a name that we of the Twelve Colonies have come to hold in reverence. To have the Stryker family here with us is a great honor, and it speaks a great deal of the works done by Fleet Admiral Stryker before, during, and after the Cylon War. We hope that the spirit of this great man and great family can live on in the next battlestar to bear the name as it has lived on for almost two decades in this battlestar. It has been said that ships have souls and if that is true then may we ask that the battlestar _Stryker_ forgive us for what is to transpire here at the end of its days, but as it is in the life of humanity it is the same in the life of a ship. So say we all…"

When Brannon finished the group replied with 'So say we all…' and it was then that Cyprian took his spot at the center of the room.

"There will be a chance for pictures and interviews either later today or tomorrow, for now I would like for all of you to get settled into your guest quarters," Cyprian said.

"Would you like for me to take over, sir?" Lieutenant Victoria Wells, one of the officers from the Public Relations department, asked as she walked up to Cyprian.

"Yes, make sure they make it to their rooms and understand that while we are decommissioning the ship it is vital that they not wander around without an escort," Cyprian said as he turned and left the room. Unfortunately, even with the _Stryker_ being taken out of service there was a never-ending mountain of paperwork that needed to be handled.

**Commanding Officer's Quarters:**

Cyprian sat at the desk and eyed the mountain of paperwork that was waiting for him, it was all a bunch of bureaucratic nonsense in his mind but it was part of the job. It seemed Lieutenant Suman had delivered enough to make sure that he would not be bored for the next three days, not that there would be any danger of that anyway. The item at the top of the pile was a note from Fleet Headquarters advising him to that it was important that all ammunition be offloaded after the commissioning of the new _Stryker_ rather than have it released into space and detonated as was the normal ceremony. It seemed that with the budget cuts the Fleet could not afford to waste too much ammunition. He was reminded of a report he had read from the _Illustrious_, one that stated that the Vipers and gun crews were to use their weapons without ammunition during training exercises. It seemed that to save cubits there would no longer be such things as live-fire exercises, perhaps it was a good thing he was doing inactivation work instead of serving on the front line…the odds were he would have shot off a very candid memo and found himself relegated to some meaningless job at the far end of space.

He took out a letter and looked at the picture inside of it. The picture was of him and his girlfriend back at their home on Virgon. Most of his life as a bachelor was great and he had not planned on it changing anytime soon, that was until he was in Caprica City two years ago and met her. Her name was Adriana White, and she was a nurse at the William B. Preston Medical Center in Delphi. They were both sitting in the lobby area of the Sproston Restaurant & Grille waiting to be seated when they struck up a conversation about the rivalry between the Caprica Buccaneers and the Picon Panthers. They ended up having dinner together that night and did not part company until the next morning.

Now they had talked about taking 'the next step' in their relationship and were planning to move in together. The last time he had been to Caprica to see her they had gone house hunting in Delphi though they had yet to pick one.

The wheel on the hatch spun around before it opened suddenly, causing Cyprian's thoughts to be interrupted. He looked towards the hatch and saw Carl Stryker standing there looking as though he was sizing him up.

"You know in polite society most people knock or announce their presence before entering a private room," Cyprian said, his voice subtly hinting a warning about the next time Carl might wish to pay him a visit.

"If I was in 'polite' society I would but this doesn't count," Carl said as he began to walk towards the desk.

"Right," Cyprian said, not wanting to take the bait.

"Nice looking girl you have a picture of," Carl said as he craned his neck to look at her, "What did that piece of tail cost you, do you think I can afford her services?"

"You are trying to push my buttons aren't you?" Cyprian asked, this time it took a bit more effort to keep his emotions in check.

"You think you're worth me causing over trouble, you military types really do have high opinions of yourselves," Carl said with a laugh before he continued, "It's your whole culture I have a problem with. You think you're a bunch of damn heroes because you have all these toys to play with. The only reason I'm here is so I can see this damn monstrosity sent to the scrap yard where it belongs, if only we could take the Stryker myth with it."

"For over two decades this ship has done its job and if the Cylons had returned it could have done it appropriately. This crew takes great pride in serving on the _Stryker_, that's why even though its time is running short it still looks every bit like a well-maintained piece of equipment," Cyprian said.

"Spare me the lectures _Commander_," Carl said in a way that made Cyprian's rank sound like an insult.

"It's a shame I can't do it but one day someone will teach you the error of your ways. Gods willing, it won't be too late for you to learn it," Cyprian said.

"You even lay a finger on me and I will have my lawyers suing you and the Colonial Fleet so quickly your head will spin," Carl said with an 'I dare you' look on his face.

Cyprian stood up and walked over to the front of his desk, Carl Stryker tensed as though he was finally getting a chance to throw a punch. Instead, Cyprian picked up the receiver on his desk and made a call. He covered the mouthpiece of the receiver and talked low enough to where Carl could not hear him.

"What the frak was that all about?" Carl asked.

Cyprian smiled, "You'll find out soon enough Mr. Stryker."

Carl moved to within inches of Cyprian, "When it comes to the military I am a dedicated pain-in-the-ass…by the time we reach the dock for the ceremony you'll be begging for the chance to let me off this ship."

"If I put you off of my ship then you'll find yourself in the middle of space without any kind of suit on to protect you," Cyprian whispered in Carl's ear.

The hatch opened and in walked four Marines, each took up a position around Carl.

"Lieutenant Howard, I want you and your Marines to escort Mr. Stryker back to his quarters. He is to stay there until we arrive at the dock for the decommissioning ceremony. In effect he is under house arrest until I decide otherwise, I want two Marines guarding his quarters at all times to make sure he does not leave," Cyprian said and with a sense of satisfaction watched as the Marines escorted a protesting Carl Stryker out of the room.

He walked over and closed the hatch to his quarters; he actually felt a genuine sense of satisfaction over what he had just done to the self-righteous ass. How he was related to the Styker family was a mystery to him.

"He must have been adopted and his parents never told him," Cyprian said to himself as he started working on reducing the amount of paperwork that Lieutenant Suman had delivered to his desk.

He picked up the remote control on the desk and turned on the televison that was mounted on the room across from him.

The channel was set to the last one Commander Aeneas had it on, in this case the Colonial Fleet News Service.

A man was standing on what seemed to be some sort of space station. Cyprian deduced it was a military location judging by the number of battlestars visible beyond the large window the man was standing in front of.

"This is Nasib Imad at the Lampetia Shipyard, and behind me to the right you can see the giant _Illustrious_-class battlestar _Ark Royal_. The battlestar, affectionately known as 'The Ark' was decommissioned a week ago after suffering a minor fire in the Chief Petty Officers' mess that resulted in one death and two hospitalizations. Though the fire was rapidly extinguished, and the ship was operating normally the next day, the timing of the fire coincided with a further reduction of the defense budget by the Adar Administration. The decision was met with outrage from the citizens of Virgon who hold the ship and name in high esteem," the reporter said as the cameraperson kept the image squarely on him and the _Ark Royal_.

"Give him time and Adar might run down the whole damn battlestar fleet if he's able to, I wouldn't put it past him," Cyprian said with disgust.

He went over more of the message traffic that was deemed 'High Priority' before his attention was caught by another news report.

A woman was standing in front of a building he believed was on Virgon.

"This is Cecilia Roman reporting live in Boskirk from the Virgon Parliament, it was recently announced that the Colonial Government was sending supplies to the city of Hadrian which was hit by a large seismic quake yesterday. Large quantities of food and medical supplies have been loaded onto the Battlestar _Indomitable_ for transport from Caprica to Virgon. From reports received from anonymous sources within the Colonial Fleet it would appear the _Indomitable_ was chosen because, apart from the recently decommissioned _Ark Royal_, the name dates back to the days of the Virgon Royal Fleet before the Articles of Colonization were adopted. It has been suggested that the choice of the _Indomitable_ was a move to ease the tensions with Virgon surrounding the sudden and controversial decommissioning of the _Ark Royal_."

"There is a part of me that would rather have the job the _Indomitable_ has than this one," Cyprian admitted, it would probably become more interesting now that the press and dignitaries had arrived onboard.


	2. Chapter 2: Approaching Zero

**Chapter Two: Approaching Zero**

**The Day of the Fall:**

**Battlestar _Stryker_, Commander's Quarters:**

"For the love of all that is good and holy, tell me you are pulling my leg," Commander Jerome Cyprian begged upon hearing the news.

"I wish I could say I was joking, Commander," Staff Sergeant Elene Bedisa said as though she were trying to hide her amusement.

"I just can't wrap my head around this, for the past two days I am simply unable to wrap my head around much of what's going on here," Cyprian said as he yawned and began to rub his eyes as though it would keep him awake.

"With all due respect, sir, I don't think any of us imagined it would be this bad," Bedisa offered.

"But this," Cyprian said as he gestured to the report that Bedisa had delivered to him, "just takes the cake if you ask me…a fight starts over the door to the Ship's Service Store, equipment in the General Workshop and Electrical Shop, the door and items in the Engineering Office ."

Like all vessels of the Colonial Fleet, the _Stryker_ had a Ship's Service Store. The intention was to have the onboard store take the place of the planet-based Fleet Exchanges and provide those personal comfort items not otherwise available while deployed in space. Profits from these sales were put into the Ship's Welfare & Recreation Fund.

"I told those two groups to play nice with one another. I think I drilled the point home enough times over the past two days that even I got tired of hearing the speech," Cyprian said as a bitter laugh made its way out of his mouth.

"What do you want me to do?" Bedisa asked.

"Put our fighters in the brig for now and bring me the two heads of the museum groups, I think a little riot act reading is in order," Cyprian said as he began to contemplate what he would say.

"Commander, am I disturbing you?" a woman asked from the entrance to his quarters.

"That depends. Have a seat and tell me who you are," Cyprian said.

"My name is Noelle Morin; I'm a reporter with the _Lowell Courier_ on Caprica," she said as she took a seat and extended her hand for Cyprian to shake.

He shook her hand and gave the reporter an appraising glance. She wore a dark blue business dress with a matching jacket and white blouse underneath. She was a brunette, with hazel eyes that seemed to have a focus to them that might give an interviewee pause. He wagered she was probably in her early to mid thirties.

"A pleasure to meet you Ms. Morin, what is it I can do for you?"

"As you know, today is the day when you decommission this ship and I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me. I'm doing a special on the _Stryker_ and its impending demise."

Cyprian was quiet for a moment before he asked, "What exactly are you calling this piece?"

"I'm calling it _Death of a Warship_, and I thought since you're the last person to command the _Stryker_ you might have some insight into what is going on," Morin said.

Cyprian looked at the clock and then back at the reporter, "Tell you what, Miss Morin, I am due in the CIC in about sixteen minutes. Later today, before we arrive at the dock for the decommissioning, I'll be happy to sit down with you and give you all the time you want."

Morin stood up and smiled at him, "Thank you Commander Cyprian, I look forward to it."

"That wasn't too unpleasant," he said after she left. He closed the hatch and finished the small amount of business he needed to take care of before he left for the CIC.

Observation Deck:

"I have to say it's nice to get a chance to look out into space," Ensign Chelsea Ware said.

"I saw it two days ago, but it never gets old," Ensign Paul Stryker said. The two classmates from the Fleet Academy had taken the time to visit the _Stryker's _Observation Deck. The constant drilling and rehearsing for the decommissioning ceremony was enough to wear on a person and they both could feel the effects of the work they had put in during the last forty-eight hours.

"Remember that weekend during our sophomore year at the Academy when we went to the Colonial Fleet Aviation Museum?" Stryker asked.

"Yeah. My granddad was giving a speech at the beginning of the Aviation Hall of Honor induction ceremony," Ware said.

"I remember seeing the reverence the museum staff held for the Vipers and Raptors that were housed there on display. I sort of get the feeling that's what people feel when they think of this ship," Stryker said before taking a drink from the glass of water beside him.

"You get that feeling when you step onboard, it's as though the Stryker name makes this ship special to the crew and the people who come to visit. I'm sure it makes you proud."

Stryker thought about it before he said, "In a way it does and in another way it gives me the impression my grandfather has been elevated to mythic status."

"I know I felt a connection the moment I landed my Viper onto the starboard flight pod. I would tell people I was serving on the _Stryker_ and they would tell me how proud I must feel. After a while, I came to understand why people felt there was something special about this ship. Even though he's been gone for a few years now, the person on the street still holds him in near reverence."

"Joe and I do what we can to live up to that name but our cousin seems to disagree with that sentiment."

"Carl is an idiot and your uncle probably deserves the credit for that one. Let's not talk about him though. How does Joe like the Fleet Academy?"

"He says it's been good for him. He's in charge of the cadets on the floor of one of the wings of a dorm along with a cadet named Marcel Duval. He has also become friends with two of the girls who have the same duties that he does. One of them happens to be a Tolan."

"You mean a Stryker has become friends with a Tolan? Does Joe even know about your grandfather's unofficial Twelfth Rule?"

Stryker shrugged, "We all heard it, 'Never trust a Tolan', but I think Joe is taking this one on blind faith. From what he's told me there's nothing to worry about with Lacey Tolan. But she could just be putting on a very good show for both the cadets and instructors at the Academy."

"As much as I hate to send you packing, it's close to being time for you to show up in the Officers Wardroom to have that meal with your family," Ware said, and for added emphasis showed Stryker the time on her watch.

"Gods, I'm late! I'll come by the Ready Room when it's over with," Stryker said as he hurriedly left the room.

Viper 0225AK:

"This is Viper 0225AK to _Stryker_, callsign Freight Train requesting permission to land?" asks Major Arthur 'Freight Train' Wallace.

"This is _Stryker_ to Viper 0225AK. Approach port landing bay hands-on speed 105, checkers red, calls the ball."

"Copy that _Stryker_. Port landing bay, hands-on approach, Speed 105, I have the ball."

After landing his Viper, Wallace heard the landing officer say, "Welcome aboard the _Stryker_, Freight Train."

**Battlestar _Stryker_ Hangar Bay:**

"Major Wallace, welcome aboard. I'm Senior Chief Alice Johnston," Johnston said as she walked over from a Viper where she and one of the knuckle-draggers had been doing diagnostic.

"Thank you, Alice, and please call me Arthur. Major Wallace is too formal for when I'm not on duty," Wallace said as he took in the sight of the busy hangar deck. It looked pristine; as though the deck crew was hoping to have it polished enough to pass the inspection of a demanding flag officer. He could tell that even though the ship was facing its last days the crew seemed to be determined to carry out their duties to the best of their abilities.

As Johnston was welcoming Wallace, several of the deck crews began to gather around his Viper. Wallace could not help but smile; he had spent his free time restoring two, old and outdated Viper Mark I's. When he had first found it rusting away on Sagittaron in what the Viper Boneyard he had used the pull he had as an officer in the Ministry of Intelligence to acquire the Viper. Since then he had painstakingly restored it to where it would be able to fly again.

"I guess they've never seen a Viper Mark I," Wallace said to Chief Johnston with a look that in no way hid the amusement he was feeling.

"Well to be honest, I've only seen one in a history book," replied Johnston as she looked at the Viper Mark I as if it was a ghost.

"You're welcome to touch. It's just that if you break it, I will hurt you badly," Wallace said with a laugh.

"Why was this Viper retired?" asked Johnston as she helped Wallace with his equipment.

"Unlike the Mark Two, the Mark I gained a reputation for being a bit of a fuel whore."

"Fuel whore?" asks Johnston with a look of confusion on her face.

"Yes, the Viper Mark I is equipped with a turbo; however, using that turbo made the Mark I a fuel whore. During the early years of the Cylon War, pilots used up all of their fuel very quickly and that caused Stryker to decide to have the Mark I redesigned without the turbo and that became the Mark Two."

"What is it doing here?"

"It will become part of the Stryker museum. I'm donating one to each museum; this one is going to the museum on Aquaria. I wanted it to be able to fly in the decommissioning ceremony; however, the request didn't get approved in time."

"That's fascinating. Anyway you have someone waiting for you," replied Johnston as she pointed to a woman standing over in the corner.

Wallace looked at the woman and recognized her right away. He turned his attention back to Johnston and said, "Excuse me."

He walked over to the woman. Elizabeth Stryker looked as though she was as sharp mentally as ever. The last time he had seen her was three years ago when he had arrived on Picon to attend the state funeral that had been given to Jonas Stryker. After the service, he was summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence headquarters in the city of Gray. It was that night when he was informed that his plan to lure the mercenary group Erebea into a trap was approved and he would be refitting the decommissioned Battlestar _Gemenon_ for the mission.

Elizabeth looked at him with an appraising look and allowed a slight smile to come to her lips before she said, "Arthur, you are late, as usual."

Wallace kissed her on the cheek, "Sorry, Elizabeth, it's not my fault."

"It's alright, I'm just glad you were able to make it. Will you be joining us for dinner?"

"Yes," replied Wallace, as Elizabeth wrapped her arm right arm around Wallace's left arm and started to walk out of the hangar bay.

**Officers Wardroom:**

The large wooden table in the wardroom was the place where the Stryker family would have their last meal on the ship before the decommissioning ceremony. On the right bulkhead of the room was a painting of Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker. From its place on the bulkhead, it seemed as though the legendary Colonial Fleet officer was looking down on those in the room, keeping a constant vigil even though he had sloughed off his mortal coil.

At the head of the table was Elizabeth Stryker, the elderly widow of Admiral Stryker and the matriarch of the family. Her children and grandchildren were seated along the sides of the table, waiting anxiously for the meal to be served.

The door opened and in walked Paul Stryker in his blue officer uniform.

"I was starting to worry about you showing up," Elizabeth said evenly.

"Sorry, Grandma, I was having a talk with a pilot and lost track of time," Stryker said as he took the seat across from where his parents were sitting.

"I'm glad you were able to make it. Seems our food is late though," she said.

"I'm sure the galley crew are doing the best they can," he said.

"I'm hungry," Georgia Stryker, the youngest of Cedric Stryker's children, complained.

It was then that the hatch to the wardroom opened and in walked various mess attendants carrying the plates of food for the family.

"Arthur, you were able to make it after all!" Stryker exclaimed when he saw Arthur Wallace seated at the table.

"Good to see you, Paul. I take it Commander Hamilton was willing to let you go off of the _Poseidon_?' Wallace asked.

"He wasn't too thrilled about it, but he had an order from Admiral Corman himself saying that I was to be present for the ceremonies or else he would be, and I quote, 'Lucky to get command of a sewage ship'." Stryker said, drawing muffled laughter from some of the adults at the table.

"I am going to be sad to see this ship go to the breakers," Cedric Stryker said.

"I know what you mean. Dad walked the corridors of this ship and was there for its dedication, that is something the new _Stryker _can't ever claim," Claudia Holland, the eldest daughter of Stryker, said.

"At least parts of the ship will live on at the museums on Picon and Aquaria. That way this _Stryker_ will never truly be gone," Juliette Shepherd, the second of Stryker's daughters, said. It was as though it was somehow giving a silver lining to the fact that the ship they were on was going to cease to exist; first, on the list of Colonial Fleet vessels, then in the physical sense as the machines of the scrap yard dismantled it piece by piece.

**Thirty-Seven Minutes Later:**

**Genesis Orbital Facility, Aerilon:**

"Commander, we are approaching the dock," Lieutenant Rebekka Stotland announced from Tactical.

"Very good," Cyprian said before adding, "set us on a course for the dock where the new _Stryker_ is located."

"The end of our three-day tour," Colonel Cecil Bradford said to Cyprian as the two were standing at the Command and Control Station.

"I'm glad to have it over with; otherwise I may have to follow through on my threat to airlock members of the museum groups who refused to play nice."

Bradford gave him a worried look, "You weren't serious about that were you?"

Cyprian let out a short laugh, "They were fighting over the most irrelevant things. When you come to blows over who gets the door to Frozen Storage you know things are getting out of hand."

"In that case I can't blame you for wanting to airlock them," Bradford said with a shake of his head.

"We never worried about this on the _Warlock_, that's for damn sure," Cyprian said and found that he could not help but shake his head over what was happening here on the _Stryker_.

"It's over now, any idea on what happens next?" Bradford asked.

"I got a message from the Bureau of Ships yesterday. We are going to oversee the inactivation and removal of ammo, fuel, and supplies before the Stryker museums start unloading all the items they have catalogued. When that's done, and the name plates are removed from the flight pods, the ship gets towed to the scrap yard and we move on to our next assignment," Cyprian said.

"Commander, we are approaching the dock. We should be docked in approximately five minutes," Stotland called out.

"Commander, I am receiving a call for you from…the PCU Stryker," Lieutenant Rajesh Suman said. Until it was officially placed into service with the Colonial Fleet, the new battlestar would be known as a PCU or Pre-Commissioning Unit.

Cyprian picked up the receiver at Command and Control, "This is _Stryker-_Actual."

"Commander Cyprian, this is _Stryker_-Actual," Commander Jason Aeneas replied.

'This is going to create confusion,' Cyprian thought to himself before he said, "Commander Aeneas, it's a pleasure to speak to you again. How are things on the new _Stryker_?"

"Going along smoothly. The senior staff has done a remarkable job of having us prepped for the ceremony. How has your three days been on the old _Stryker_?"

"In truth, it's been a juggling act I could not have foreseen. I'm dealing with so many different people and agendas that it can get dizzying. However, the crew has stayed focused and are ready for the ceremony and crew transfer."

"That is what I was hoping to hear, I see your reputation for getting these types of jobs done was called for," Aeneas said.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence. I'll send the crew to get ready for the ceremony. I'll see you on the new ship," Cyprian said before setting the phone down.

"Mr. Suman, send word to have the air wing deployed and the crew assembled on the hangar deck in dress greys. The time has come to send the old _Stryker_ off."

"Here we go," Bradford said.

"For now we shall do in-port watch. That should give all of us enough time to get ready and assembled on the hangar before we disembark for the ceremony," Cyprian said as he looked over another message, this one from the Genesis Facility supervisor informing him that a large protest group was in fact in a corner of the dock staging a demonstration.

**Viper Squadron Ready Room One:**

"All right, pilots, the order has been given for us to fly off the _Stryker_ for the last time. You have rehearsed your flyover routines for the ceremony, so just remember your practice and you will do fine," Major Irene Artemisia said to the assembled pilots.

"Question, CAG," Ensign Claudio 'Razor' Roma said before asking, "What are we going to do once we land on our new ship?"

"As soon as your Viper is parked, the important thing is to not forget to tip your valet. Otherwise you may get your paint job scratched," Artemisia said, drawing a laugh from the other pilots, "When you exit your Viper you should be able to find your way to the Ready Room for Viper Squadron One, there should be someone there to direct you."

Artemisia looked around to see if there were any other questions and when it appeared there were none she promptly dismissed the group. The pilots left the room to make their way down to the hangar deck where their Vipers awaited them. The time had arrived to do what they had done all of the practicing for.

**Twenty-Eight Minutes Later:**

**Dock 1104, Genesis Orbital Facility, Aerilon:**

"That is one big ship," Cyprian whispered to Bradford.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Bradford said. He was unable to take his eyes off the new Battlestar _Stryker_, the ship that was giving its name to the improved subclass of the_ Titan_ Class battlestars. These ships were longer and wider than any previous class, large enough to hold the air group of two _Mercury_-class battlestars. There were also additional armaments than what would have been found on the Titans, such as extra missile turrets and more secondary guns than on other battlestars. The dual flight pod system had been done as well, only the two landing bays were beside each other instead of one on top of the other. At the rear of the ship were sixteen sublight engines, waiting to be ignited and put to use once the ship was brought into commission.

"It looks like that protest is going full swing and the ceremony doesn't start for at least a half an hour," Cyprian noted as he saw the large group of protestors with their various signs denouncing both Admiral Stryker and the Colonial Fleet in general.

"It looks like you have a fan out there, someone must have found out you were in command," Bradford said as he pointed out a sign to Cyprian.

"You have got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed as he saw a sign that had his picture on it and underneath it in bold wording was 'Cy-Kill'.

"I admit that's original, insulting, but still original," Bradford admitted.

"It's all right, just nice to be noticed. Then again, I'll see if Aeneas can pull his _Stryker _away from the dock and give our friends an up-close and personal view of space."

Both men instinctively looked over to where _Stryker's_ starboard flight pod was locked into place and sealed with heavy metal blast doors that slid into place and locked securely to give an airtight seal to the dock. It was the same on their side where the port flight pod was securely attached.

"In ten minutes, they'll let the families show up to welcome the crew from the deployment, though the reunions have to wait until the dual ceremonies are done."

Cyprian shrugged his shoulders, "It's what makes doing this so interesting; I can't think of a time this has ever been done before."

**_Stryker_'s Decommissioning Ceremony:**

**Hangar Deck:**

In the hangar bay of the _Orion_ Class _Stryker,_ the decommissioning was to start in fifteen minutes. Cyprian was sitting on the left side of Elizabeth Stryker. On Elizabeth's right side sat Arthur Wallace.

Cyprian looked out at the assembled members of the ship's crew and said quietly, "Everyone is almost in place. I hate giving speeches."

"When you put it that way, you sound like Jonas," replied Elizabeth. She looked out and saw that there were several news crews recording the exchange between her and Cyprian. To them it looked as if they were simply having a quiet word with one another before the ceremony was to begin.

"Who's not here?" asked Wallace.

"Just Commander Aeneas and his senior staff," replied Cyprian.

"So what is the plan?" Wallace asked. While he was more than prepared to attend the ceremony the one thing that he had forgotten to take into consideration was just how it was all going to take place. A dual ceremony such as this was relatively unknown…in fact this may have been the first time such a thing had taken place.

"After the decommissioning part of the ceremony is over, everyone will walk over to the new _Stryker_. At the same time, the Vipers will launch and start the fly over before landing on the new _Stryker_," replied Cyprian. He was going to say more but he did not get the chance to finish his sentence.

Then the lights in the hangar deck ceiling began to flash on and off.

"What the hell is going on?" Cyprian asked. He was aware of many things at this point and this was definitely not part of what was supposed to happen.

"Action Stations, Action Stations…set Condition One thought out the ship…this is no drill," Lieutenant Rebekka Stotland's voice echoed off the walls of the cavernous hangar deck. The crew was standing there in stunned silence as if the call to Action Stations was leaving them frozen where they stood.

"They can't be serious?" Cyprian asked in what was supposed to be a mental question that instead came out of his mouth.

"Sound like it to me," replied Wallace as he helped Elizabeth up from her chair.

"Arthur, do you think it's the Cylons?" Elizabeth asked and for a moment, it seemed her calm exterior was showing a crack.

"Yes, I do…no one else I can think of would launch an attack against a shipyard like this," Wallace said as he moved to pick up the wireless.

"What are we going to do?" Cyprian asked as the worried look on his face became obvious. He was not sure what exactly to do. He had seen combat only once in his life and that had been what felt like a lifetime ago. Most of his time in the Colonial Fleet involved overseeing the decommissioning and inactivation of warships that were never going to see a day of service again.

Elizabeth turned and saw the look on Cyprian's face. She had seen that look described to her by her husband. He had the same look on his face during the battle on his ship, the _Aquarius_, when the Cylons revolted and attacked the Colonies. The shock of the attack had frozen him where he stood; and going by all he had heard that is what was going with Commander Jerome Cyprian. She turned away from Wallace and walked over to Cyprian. When she reached him, she promptly slapped him.

"What was that for?" Cyprian asked as he rubbed his right cheek where she had slapped him.

"You are an officer in the Colonial Fleet Officer. You need to act like one before we're all killed," replied Elizabeth.

Cyprian was going to say something to her but Wallace yelled to him from where the wireless station was at, "Commander, it's a Cylon attack."

"Everyone to your stations, Cyprian follow me" Wallace called out and it was then that Chief Alice Johnston began to get the crew scrambling to their Action Stations.

As Cyprian and Wallace ran for the CIC, Elizabeth Stryker began to take control of the civilians in the hangar bay. There was no more dangerous area to work than the hangar of a Battlestar and these people were in the middle of it. They had to get to another area of the ship so the _Stryker_ could launch Vipers against the Cylons.

**Battlestar _Stryker_ CIC:**

"SITREP" asked Wallace, as he entered the CIC along with Cyprian.

"The other _Stryker_ has taken at least eight nukes," replied Stotland at Tactical.

"Communications, get me Commander Aeneas. Commander Cyprian…Commander Cyprian…" Wallace asked as he tried to get Cyprian out of the fog that he seemed to be in.

"What?" Cyprian asked as he tried to get his mind to process the events that were transpiring around him.

"Are you the commanding officer?" Wallace asked with a steely edge in his voice.

"Yes," Cyprian said as he began to get his senses back to where they were before the Cylons attacked.

"Then what are your orders?" Wallace pressed, wanting to make sure Cyprian was in the right frame of mind and able to command.

"Launch Vipers…" Cyprian ordered Stotland as Bradford finally made his way into the CIC to find out what was going on once he was able to escape the madness that had unfolded on the hangar deck.

"Belay that order," Wallace said before Stotland could follow through on it.

"Major, who is in command here?" Cyprian asked, his mind finally over the shock of what happened and his officer training was finally taking over. The last thing he needed was to be countermanded by Wallace.

"Well you are; however, our Vipers have no ammo…launching them right now will get them killed."

"Damn it, that's right. Order all Vipers to be armed and launched immediately. Have gun crews ready to open fire on the Cylons," Cyprian ordered.

"Belay that order as well," Wallace said to Stotland.

"Major Wallace what the hell are you trying to do here?" Cyprian asked, his patience was all but exhausted. Here he was trying to get his Battlestar into a fight and so far, Wallace had twice countered his orders.

"We can't fire, we are still dock with the facility and our rail guns don't have any ammo either,"

Wallace said as to not anger Cyprian and remind him of their situation.

"In that case, Major, what would you have us do?" Cyprian asked. They needed to get something going before the Cylons turned the full force of their weapons onto them.

"Undock us from the facility," Wallace suggested. Right now, the important thing was that they find a way to get themselves away from the dock. Otherwise, they would be sitting there vulnerable to what the Cylons launched at them.

"You heard him, but Major Wallace we need to work on our chain of command," Cyprian said in a way that left no doubt that Wallace had taken far too many liberties on his ship.

"Well," Wallace began as though choosing his words carefully, "according to Military Protocol in an emergency situation a member of the Ministry of Intelligence can assume command of a military unit."

"How do you know that?" Cyprian asked.

"Because, I'm a member of the MoI…" Wallace said, hoping that Cyprian wouldn't want the details of what he did with the MoI until after they had survived the attack.

"I didn't know that," Cyprian said, there was more to this Major Wallace than met the eye. When this was over, he would have to sit down have a talk with him. The Ministry of Intelligence was an organization that most people felt could not be trusted, and he was among them. Either there was some truth to all the rumors he heard or he simply watched one too many spy movies.

"I'd have told you, Commander but my work with the MoI is strictly on a need to know only basis. My being here had nothing to do with my work with the organization. I'm simply here because of the Stryker family," Wallace said hoping this would be all the discussion they would have on the subject.

"Commander, the _Stryker_ has been destroyed. We are moving away from the dock, but now the Cylons are targeting us," Stotland reported from the Tactical Station.

"Prepare to jump," Wallace said to Stotland.

"Belay that order. What are you doing? The last thing we need to do is jump away. We need to stay and fight the Cylons," Cyprian said.

"I agree with Major Wallace," Colonel Bradford said as he made his presence at the Command and Control Station known to Cyprian and Wallace.

"We are not in a condition to fight, we need to retreat and get the _Stryker_ in shape to confront the Cylons. When that's taken care of then we can return and engage those frakking toasters," Wallace said.

Cyprian began to realize that what he was saying was true. The _Stryker_ had been placed in a condition for a trip to the scrap yard. Fighting the Cylons was something that was not to be done in the current situation.

"Sir, the Cylons shut down the Vipers patrolling around the _Stryker_," Stotland reported.

"How is that even possible?" Cyprian asked.

"Our network…we need to disconnect our network right now," Wallace said.

"We are ready for jump," Stotland reported.

"Wallace, go disconnect the network," Cyprian ordered, Wallace nodded and ran to disconnect the _Stryker'_s network.

Cyprian then gripped the wireless and said to the crew, "All hands prepare for emergency jump…All hands prepare for emergency jump."

Then, after a bright flash, the Stryker jumped away, as the Cylon baseships finished the destruction of the facility.

**Heraclea Salvage Company:**

"Commander, the jump has been completed," Stotland reported before letting out a huge sigh of relief.

"Good work, Commander," Wallace said.

"Same to you, Major, I think we might be able to find a happy medium after all," Cyprian said as he let out a short laugh.

"Lieutenant Suman," Cyprian called out.

"Yes sir," Lieutenant Rajesh Suman said in response.

"I want you to establish a connection with the Heraclea offices," Cyprian said as he waited for Suman to establish the wireless connection.

When Suman nodded that he had the connection, Cyprian picked up the receiver, "This is the Battlestar _Stryker_, Commander Jerome Cyprian speaking."

"Commander Cyprian, this is Kale Mikala, you may proceed to Dock 236," Mikala said.

"Mr. Mikala, I don't know how to put this so I'll just go ahead and be blunt. The Cylons have attacked and we are at war," Cyprian said.

"Is this some sort of sick joke?" Mikala asked with more than a hint of disgust in his voice.

"Are you in charge here?" Cyprian asked. He could feel the clock ticking away. There was no telling if the Cylons would come and attack a ship breaking company or not.

"Mr. Carney had to go to Picon to formalize the deal for your ship. He left his wife in charge until his return," Mikala said.

"All right, put her on for me," Cyprian said.

"No can do. She's in a meeting with the foreman who's going to dismantle your ship."

"Listen to me and you listen well. I have a detachment of Marines on my ship right now. If you do not put her on the line now and let her know how frakking important it is that I speak to her, I swear to the gods that I will board that administration station you're on and make you wish you had cooperated with me," Cyprian all but hissed into the receiver.

"Wait, you're serious about this?" Mikala asked.

"If you had to deal with a fraction of what I've had to put up with the past three days you would realize that the best thing you can do, is do what I ask and not press your luck," Cyprian said.

"I'll go get her," Mikala said and the line went silent.

Minutes later, he heard a woman come on the line, "Commander Cyprian this is Juliana Carney. How can I help you?"

"Mrs. Carney, I need you to get your staff to the nearest airlock to board my ship. I will send my deck gang to the station to bring over whatever supplies we can take with us. The Cylons have attacked the Colonies and I need to get you onto the _Stryker_ where you'll be safe," Cyprian heard her gasp and realized that she may not believe what he was saying, "I don't have time to argue with you over this. Just please listen to me, and do what I say. I will be at the airlock on the 05 Level, be there with your staff and we can take it from there."

"All right, Commander, we'll be there waiting for you," Carney said as she severed the connection.

"Mr. Suman, get me a line with Chief Johnston," Cyprian said to Suman who promptly got Johnston on the line.

"Commander, what can I do for you?" Johnston asked.

"I'm docking with the Administration area of the salvage yard's station, I want you to get a team together to scour the building as quickly as they can to get whatever might be useful. We're going to need to get as many supplies as we can."

"I understand, sir; I'll have a team ready for you by the time we dock."

"Thank you, Chief, good luck over there," Cyprian said before he put the receiver back into its cradle.

"Is this a wise idea?" Wallace asked.

"I have to ask that, too. We should hide from the Cylons," Bradford said.

Cyprian shook his head, "We are here now because those were the coordinates in our computer for the next jump. There is no way I can in good conscience jump away from here and leave those people to die. It's just not going to happen."

"With your permission, I'd like to go down to the hangar and join the search party," Wallace said.

Cyprian nodded, "Make Chief Johnston aware that I'm putting you in charge of the team that's going over to the station. Make sure they bring back items of value to us and nothing frivolous."

Wallace nodded his head and bounded out of the CIC.

"Are you sure this is a bright idea?" Bradford asked.

"Listen, Cecil, you're my XO, and that means I need you to trust me to make the right decision and back me up. You're my friend and we go back, but I do not need you to question my decisions at a time like this in public. If you can't trust me then I can find a new XO," Cyprian knew there was a part of him that hated to talk to his friend like that but it had to be done. He had frozen during the initial attack and that was something he could not afford to let happen again. For the sake of the crew, he needed to be a strong leader.

"Fair enough, Commander," Bradford said before walking off to consult with Suman over communications traffic that was coming in.

"Lords of Kobol hear my prayers, and keep the Cylons away long enough for us to hide somewhere," Cyprian quietly said to himself.

_**Author's Note: I wanted to take the time to thank Allen Knott for being a huge help to me with this chapter, portions of this chapter were written by him with my edits added to them. I also wanted to take the time to thank Pam Barker for taking the time to do an excellent job as a beta reader.**_


	3. Chapter 3: Red Sky Morning

**Chapter Three: ****Red Sky Morning**

**Heraclea Salvage Company, Administration Section:**

It had taken over three hours since the boarding party had come onboard the structure the Heraclea Salvage Company used for its Administration Department,but they had actually done it. The complete staff of the Heraclea Salvage Company had been brought over to the Battlestar _Stryker_, and all of the useful materials had been taken onboard as well. Major Arthur Wallace of the Ministry of Intelligence took one last look before stepping through the airlock and back onto the _Stryker_.

When the airlock had closed behind him, Wallace rushed over to the phone and pressed the buttons for the CIC.

"CIC," said Lieutenant Rajesh Suman.

"Lieutenant Suman, get me Commander Cyprian," Wallace said and moments later, he heard the voice of Commander Jerome Cyprian.

"What is it Wallace?" the Commander's terse voice asked over the line.

"The personnel have been brought onboard and we have loaded every supply that looked to be of value to us," Wallace said as he turned to see the deck gang putting away the items that had been brought onboard. Importantly enough, they had brought over the food that had been stored on the station for the personnel.

"Excellent work, Wallace. I'll see you when you return to the CIC," Cyprian said before ending the call.

Wallace put the phone back into its receiver and walked over to where Chief Alice Johnston was directing her deck gang.

"Your people did good work there, Chief."

"You didn't do so badly yourself, Arthur," Johnston said, using Wallace's first name after he insisted she not call him Major.

"Thanks, Chief, I'm off to the CIC to see what's going on," Wallace said. He had no idea exactly what was going on with Cyprian, but the Commander seemed to have been wakened from the shock that had seemingly paralyzed him when the Cylons attacked.

**CIC:**

"I got here as quickly as I could," Wallace said as he bounded into the CIC and headed towards the Command and Control Station.

"Thank you for being so prompt, I need you to come with Colonel Bradford and me to the Wardroom," Cyprian said.

"What's going on there?" Wallace asked.

"I've gathered a group of people who I think will be instrumental in sorting out this whole mess we're in," Cyprian said as he turned and made eye contact with Lieutenant Rebekkah Stotland, the _Stryker_'s Tactical Officer.

"Ready when you are, Commander," the twenty-seven year old officer from Aerilon said.

"Prepare to jump," Cyprian said.

"Where are we heading to?" Wallace asked.

"At one point it was anywhere but here, but now it's going to be the Hekla – Beta System," Cyprian said as he turned his attention to the DRADIS.

"We have contacts," Stotland said before she identified them, "we have a Cylon baseship off our port beam."

"Jump," Cyprian called out and a moment later, the Stryker had jumped away.

**Eleven Minutes Later:**

**Officers Wardroom:**

There were seven of them sitting at the large wood table in the middle of the wardroom. Stotland had calculated the necessary jumps they would need to do if the Cylons were to show up, that bought Cyprian the time he needed to get this one meeting out of the way.

On one end sat Cyprian, Colonel Cecil Bradford, and Wallace. On the other side sat Elizabeth Stryker, Alan Stryker, Assistant Secretary of the Fleet Alvaro Sanchez, and Governor Jarrod Franklin of Scorpia.

"Is there a point to this meeting that I'm not aware of?" Franklin asked.

"Yes, there is. As of now, the Cylons have us on the run. We also have civilians onboard from the decommissioning ceremony as well as from the salvage company we jumped to. I have given it some thought and have several announcements to make," Cyprian said as he scanned the faces to see what effect his words might have on them.

"I am placing Elizabeth Stryker in charge of the civilians. Secretary Sanchez and Governor Franklin, the two of you are going to be her two top lieutenants on this task. I expect you to give her your full cooperation. Anything less will result in some rather unpleasant duty being assigned to you."

"You can't be serious!" Sanchez exclaimed.

"It's my belief that the people on this ship will be more than willing to follow Mrs. Stryker. She's lived through this and that experience can be an asset to us," Cyprian said as he looked each man in the eye to see what type of emotion would be on their faces.

"I have to agree with Secretary Sanchez," Franklin said before continuing, "I'm the Governor of Scorpia and am more than qualified to lead the civilians. I have to protest!"

Cyprian put his hands on the table and leaned in, "Scorpia was hit pretty hard by the nukes the Cylons used on it. The Scorpia you were the leader of doesn't exist anymore. You may hate for me to say this to you but right now you are on my ship and therefore if I say Elizabeth Stryker is in charge of the civilians then that should make the argument mute."

"You know you are crossing several lines of common decency here," Franklin said.

"Not to mention that I can report you to the President and have you removed from command," Sanchez said.

"You sound like you cannot handle being on my ship with the terms that I have put forth here…I will gladly find you a planet you can stay on. Personally I doubt the Cylons will be merciful when they come across you, think about that for a moment."

Neither man said a word.

"Good," Cyprian said before adding, "I want you to follow Mrs. Stryker and organize the civilians."

"Mr. Stryker, you have volunteered your services if needed and I feel they will be. Colonel Bradford has asked to be given his old rank of Lieutenant Colonel, creating a void at the Executive Officer position. Therefore, in keeping with the orders from Picon Fleet Headquarters reactivating all former Colonial Fleet personnel, you are returned to active duty at the rank of Colonel and are now the new Executive Officer of the Battlestar _Stryker_."

"Commander Cyprian, may I have a word with you in private," Wallace said to Cyprian.

"Sure," Cyprian said as the rest of the group began to file out of the room.

"Before you try to go all the way to the Hekla – Beta System let me see if I can find you another recommendation that should be able to help us. See if you we can round up any civilian ships while I check something out," Wallace said.

"Alright, Major, we'll search for survivors while you investigate whatever it is you're investigating."

"If I may ask, why was it that Colonel Bradford asked to be demoted…the real reason if you don't mind," Wallace said.

"I think the most diplomatic way I can put it is that there are those of us who froze when the Cylons attacked and pulled themselves together in time to do our jobs. I was able to make it happen once I snapped out of my confusion. I know I won't let that happen to me again…I can't say the same thing about him."

"I'm sure that was a hard thing for you to do," Wallace said.

"I've known Cecil Bradford for some time now, we've worked together on the decommissioning of several battlestars over the years. I think he was fine for that role but being in an actual shooting war is something different. He's still my friend but it's not fair to have him in a position he feels he's not cut out for."

Wallace gave a nod of understanding, "That's the thing about being in command, sometimes you have to make the hard decisions."

"Indeed, I'm needed back in the CIC. Let me know when you've finished looking into whatever it was you wanted to check on."

"Will do, I'll meet you in the CIC whenever I'm done," Wallace said as he left the Wardroom to head to his guest quarters.

**CIC: **

"Colonel Bradford, plot us a jump to the Tesma Sector. We're going to round up whatever survivors we can and take them to a destination that should be safe."

Into the CIC walked Alan Stryker, wearing one of his father's old uniform just with a set of Colonel pips attached to his collar as opposed to the Admiral pips that his father would have had on there. .

"Colonel Stryker, glad to have you here," Cyprian said.

"Thank you Commander, it's good to be back on active duty again."

"Right now we're prepping to jump to the Tesma Sector where we shall begin picking up survivors. Your friend Major Wallace says he may have an idea for a place we can jump to."

"Arthur's a good one; my parents have always held him in high regard."

"What I find so surprising about that is that a man such as Admiral Stryker would hold an MoI agent in high regard," replied Cyprian with a look on his face that was a mixture of shock and surprise. Perhaps it was all of the spy movies that had been made but it seemed that the Ministry of Intelligence had a reputation that did not give the average person comfort.

"Yes, do you know who Arthur's great grandfather is?"

"No."

"Arthur's great grandfather is Commander Alan Wallace, the man who was Stryker's mentor and the man I'm named after. Plus, my father always thought of Arthur as a son. He's sort of an unofficial son to my parents."

"Well if Stryker holds him in high enough regard to trust him, I'll at least give him a chance. So far his instincts have been helpful to us."

"Glad to hear it, how long do you plan to spend out there searching for survivors?"

"I don't want to spend too much time out there, we'll search for ships out in our immediate area but I don't want to travel too far. I don't think we're ready yet to meet the Cylons in battle. One battlestar against a force of baseships…it may not exactly end well for us."

"What was that project you gave to Lieutenant Stotland when Arthur was away on the supply mission?"

"I'm having her and the Tactical department checking over our computer systems to see if there may be any vulnerability that the Cylons can exploit. Maybe it's my gut feeling, but the reports we received showed that battlestars were just shutting down as if the Cylons flipped some switch from 'On' to 'Off' and I don't want us to suffer that fate."

"Shouldn't that be something for Colonel Bradford to be working on?"

Cyprian shook his head, "I want him to get acclimated to being our Tactical Officer. Stotland will do well with this, I have a good feeling about her and I have learned over time to trust my instincts."

"Commander Cyprian I think I found something," Lieutenant Rebekka Stotland said.

Cyprian noted that she seemed to have turned her focus onto the assignment with a laser-like accuracy. Perhaps the twenty-five year old from Gemenon was devoting her attention to the task he had given her as a way of not having to think of the destruction that had been visited upon their worlds.

"I'm impressed, you finished this more quickly than I had imagined," Cyprian said as he took the report from her hands.

Her hazel eyes gave the impression that the statement had been taken as a compliment, "Thank you Commander, I was searching through our CNP program and found a backdoor that had been put into the program that would allow someone to bypass our security protocols and shut down all vital systems. We'd have no weapons, no propulsion, no…well the _Stryker _would turn into a giant tomb and we'd be unable to defend ourselves."

"Any ideas on what we need to do about it?" Colonel Stryker asked.

"I disconnected the CNP program, and I recommend we do the same with our Vipers and Raptors. It should keep the Cylons from using whatever this backdoor is."

"Alright, send word to Chief Johnston to do that with all Vipers and Raptors immediately," Cyprian said and Stotland gave an acknowledging nod before heading off to relay the message.

**Tesma Sector: **

The ships they had gathered were a mix of both civilian and military vessels; the _Edenton_-class heavy cruisers _Auburn, Tarrant, and Triton Island_. The _Pulaski_ class frigates _Somerset, __Stroude_, _Argyll, Tamar, Eurydice, and __Ulster; _plus the cargo ships _Jack J. Pendleton, Joseph F. Merrell, James E. Robinson_, and _Cape Ducato_, the agro-ship _Merak_, along with the transport ships _Octavia, Latona,_ and_ Antheus_.

"Commander, we have another ship coming within range…" Bradford said as he checked the DRADIS signatures to confirm the identity of the ship.

"Sir, we're receiving a wireless message from the ship," Suman announced.

"Put it through," Cyprian said as he picked up the wireless receiver at Command and Control.

"This is Captain Althea Benjamin of the passenger liner _Orpha_. Gods, are we glad to see you," the woman on the other end of the wireless connection said.

"Captain Benjamin, this is Commander Jerome Cyprian of the Battlestar _Stryker_. Close in on our location and fall in with the rest of the ships," Cyprian said.

"Copy that, do you have any idea what's going on?" Benjamin asked.

Cyprian funneled through some of the reports that Suman had put together for him, "It appears we are at war with the Cylons again. All twelve of our worlds were hit. I won't lie to you, it looks grim."

"In that case, I'm glad you found us. We received word that there was an attack of some kind and we jumped here to try to get away from whatever was going on."

"I want your FTL spooled up and ready for a jump, I'm taking this group to what I believe is a secure location where we should be safe for the time being."

**Arthur Wallace's Quarters:**

Arthur Wallace entered the guest quarters that had been assigned to him on the _Stryker_. He had planned for it to be a short stay but brought a few extra items anyway in his overnight bag along with something that he believed could be of value to keeping him and the crew of the _Stryker_ alive.

Lieutenant Rajesh Suman, the Stryker's Communications Officer, had given him the order that the Ministry of Intelligence had passed out after the Cylon attacks had begun. Headquarters had been taken out with the nuclear warhead that had destroyed the city of Gray, Picon and command of the MoI had been assumed by Deputy Director Alec Sterling. He had sent word for all MoI personnel were to make their way to Libran immediately before the Cylons invaded the colony.

Wallace thought of two reasons why that would be a bad thing; the _Gemenon_ class battlestars _Gemenon_ and _Libran_. He had been refurbishing the _Gemenon _to use in his ruse to draw out the Erebea so the pirate group could be destroyed. The _Libran _had been recommissioned and assigned a group of Cylon War era faststars to engage the Erebea and eventually destroy them. The _Gemenon_ was now under the command of Curtis Bond, Wallace's top lieutenant.

The _Libran_ was under the control of the Colonial Fleet; however it had a contingent of MoI personnel onboard headed by his nemesis Major Evan Windsor.

If all worked out then Windsor would not try to force the _Libran's_ Commanding Officer, Commander Nicholas Tattnall, to head to Libran and Bond would ignore the order from Director Sterling and stay hidden for the time being.

He sat down on the bed and promptly looked to what lay beside him on his right side. Next to him was the overnight bag he had brought with him. He opened it and pulled the leather-bound book out so he could read the passage that had tickled part of his memory. He had the journal of the legendary Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker. He flipped through the pages and found the section he was looking for and began reading the journal's entry:

'_Today I am joining my most trusted flag officers at the new station that has been built in the Sertis - Beta System…'_

**Forty Years Ago:**

**Five Days before the Armistice: **

Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker boarded the station through the primary airlock. From the Raptor, they had borrowed from the _Courageous_ came Vice Admiral George Carnac, Admiral William Acland, Admiral Thomas Hood, Rear Admiral Robert Vallette, Vice Admiral Aali Zaid, and Akio Kanon of Epsilon.

"Who knows we're here?" Carnac asked.

"Nobody knows. Officially we're all meeting with Admiral Kronus to discuss the Cylon forces that have gathered near Aquaria."

"You've gathered us here and swore our meeting to secrecy. Can you let us know why now?" Hood asked.

"Not to mention the fact that you have an Epsilon member here," Zaid said with a glance towards Kanon, who was standing silently at the entrance to the meeting room.

"I have met Mr. Kanon before and he has my complete trust," Stryker said, the effect was obvious as Zaid seemed less wary of the man.

"If you trust him then that's good enough for me," Carnac said.

"Alright Jonas, you have us here and our oaths of secrecy. Any chance you can let us know why we're here?" Hood asked.

"What you see here is something that I felt needed to be shrouded in secrecy. Officially this was a monitoring station that has been built, and when the Armistice is signed it will be 'decommissioned' and stricken from the list of military utilities. I'll personally make sure it's not listed on any type of maps or charts."

"Why is it so important that this base stay a secret?" Acland asked.

"Because I don't trust the Cylons, it doesn't make sense for them to suddenly sue for peace," Stryker said.

"We did have the Canceron Surge that finally got the last of the Cylon forces out of the major cities on the colony," Vallette said.

"That's just one colony though; they have a strong presence on every other colony expect for Aquaria and there have been some recent reports that wound seem to say that the Cylons are preparing for a major offensive against Canceron before the Armistice talks started. There is some reason for the Cylons wanting to sign the Armistice but for the life of me I can't figure out exactly what it is," Carnac said.

"We use our time to rebuild our fleet and they'll be ready when the Cylons show up again," Zaid said.

"I have no doubt that we can rebuild the Colonial Fleet and make up for the losses we've suffered, but this base is a sort of fallback plan. You see, it's going to serve as a weapons stockpile so that we can have a place to serve as a base of operations to plan our attacks against the Cylons. It will have full repair facilities, food storage that will allow it to function with a full complement of crew, the best of what we can offer in self defense weaponry, and a modern Command and Control suite that will allow whoever is here to keep track of all that is going on," Stryker said.

"How do you plan to make this happen?" Acland asked.

"I'm Admiral Stryker, I give orders and people follow them…it's amazing how much work you can get done when you have the right name," Stryker said.

"I guess the next question is, why are we here?" Hood asked.

"You are among the highest-ranking flag officers in the Colonial Fleet and the ones I trust enough to share this secret with. However, for this to work we need to make an oath that we will take the secret of this base to the grave. We will tell none of the people we work with…or even those we live with. The secrecy of this base is that important," Stryker said as he made eye contact with each of the officers.

"What is the point of Epsilon being here?" Zaid asked.

"He is going to lead a select group of Epsilon personnel who will board the base to make sure that the security measures are working properly. Mr. Kanon will report here to check for any signs that the base has been boarded."

"Here it is, our fallback plan in case the Cylons attack us once more. Swear to me that you will keep this a secret," Stryker said.

One by one each of the admirals and Kanon swore that they would never reveal the location of this base.

**Present Day:**

**Guest Quarters of Elizabeth Stryker: **

"Arthur, this whole situation is unbelievable," Elizabeth Stryker said as she took a seat on a nearby sofa.

"It's hard to believe the MoI didn't see this coming," Arthur Wallace said as he took a seat in a chair not far from her.

"Jonas would feel a sense of vindication here, till the day he died he said that Adar was leaving the Colonies open to an attack."

"I know if he were here he'd be thankful you and the family are alive," Wallace said.

Elizabeth gave a sad smile, "Yes he would be. I'm hoping that Commander Cyprian is up to the challenge."

"He should be. I think you helped to get his Commanding Officer side going. I think he's going to do fine."

"He's got potential; I want to trust him. His ability to command this ship determines if we live or if we die. It surprised me when you went into the MoI instead of the Colonial Fleet. What happened there?"

Wallace shrugged, "I was made an offer that I couldn't refuse."

She laughed, "When you put it like that it sounds like a negotiation done by the Basileus."

"Do you know where we're going next?"

"I've recommended a location in this dust cloud that should keep us safe. It's a secret base that was created by Admiral Stryker shortly before the Cylon War ended."

"That's odd. Jonas never mentioned it to me."

"He didn't mention it to anybody, but he put it in his journal."

"You're telling me you have his journal?"

Wallace nodded, "He trusted it to me. It was after the Tolan confirmation when he handed it to me, and swore me never to reveal its contents. I'm only telling you this part so you'll know where we're heading to."

"It's just hard to believe that my husband never told me something like this."

"With all due respect, I think he was trying to keep you safe from a lot of what was going on during his active years and even after his _retirement_. "

"That was Jonas, I think the one thing he truly feared was that the Cylons would return and he would have not done enough to keep the Colonies safe from the attack."

"Yes, and then that frakker Adar came along and made us even more vulnerable to attack."

Elizabeth Stryker stretched and said, "I'm going to get a short nap, you let me know what you find on that base whenever you return."

Wallace leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, "I will, get some rest and I'll see you when I return."

**Officers' Mess:**

"Is this seat taken?" Ensign Chelsea Ware asked.

Ensign Paul Stryker looked up from his plate of pasta and motioned for her to sit.

"Thanks," she said as she sat across from him, "are you doing OK?"

Stryker shrugged, "Lieutenant Suman told me that the _Poseidon_ was lost over Aerilon. It's hard to believe that the entire ship and its crew are gone. Not to mention…"

Ware seemed to know where the sentence was heading to, "Joseph being at the Fleet Academy."

Stryker gave her a tired smile, "It's wrong, I mean, if that Raptor pilot hadn't have been delayed by having to stop on the _Tulare _then he could have been here."

"Perhaps he was on the _Tulare_ then and got off Picon," Ware offered.

Stryker shook his head, "It would be better for him to be on Picon. The _Tulare_ was reported as having been destroyed over Canceron."

"I don't know exactly what you should do but find a way to stay positive about this. It's better to believe he's alive since there's no way of confirming that he's dead."

"Chelsea, how did you get to be so optimistic?"

Ware laughed, "It's part of what's kept me sane at times when I don't think I'm living up to the family name. Something I know you can relate to."

"Yeah, I think that's part of what makes us so unique. My family is here on this ship, it's something that's hard to comprehend. Before we were all so busy with our lives that we never really got together except on the major holidays and that was when we were able to fit it into our schedules. Now the Cylons have attacked and with the exception of my brother we're all here on the ship bearing the family name."

"The crazy thing about it is that it took the decommissioning of this ship to get all of you together. If there's an afterlife then I'm sure Admiral Stryker is laughing at how fate has kept all of you safe."

_**Stryker**_**, CIC: **

"Commander Cyprian, is the ship ready to jump?" Wallace asked as he approached the _Stryker_'s CO.

"All ships are ready; do you care to tell me where we're jumping to now?" Cyprian asked.

"We're heading to the Sertis - Beta System, there's a base there that we can use for a base of operations."

"Wouldn't the Cylons know its location as well?" Cyprian asked, not quite convinced about the location's viability.

"Admiral Stryker intended that the base never be listed or its existence even acknowledged. That is how important he considered this base to be. Anyone who knew of it was sworn to secrecy, considering the Cylons have returned I'd say his fears were justified."

"I have to admit the idea of having a base the Cylons don't know exists is perhaps the best piece of news I've had all day," Cyprian said and for once allowed himself to smile.

"Couldn't have put it better myself Commander," Wallace said. For once he allowed himself to wonder how the Libran and Gemenon were doing. The two ships were being used for an Ministry of Intelligence operation that was designed to rid the Twelve Colonies of the pirate group Erebea once and for all. His fiancée, and fellow MoI officer, Whitney Thompson was a part of that group. Even though he did not want the thought to enter his mind, he had to wonder if she was alive or not. He also wondered if Cinta Melati, the leader of the Erebea, was alive or not. He hated to admit it but he had grown close to her in the last few years as he worked undercover as a weapons dealer in the operation against the Erebea.

I don't even know if the planet it's near is on any of the maps of Colonial space. If you think about it, this is a place where we can establish a base of operations," Wallace said.

"If we can find other units perhaps it will allow us even more flexibility, especially if we find a flag officer who is still alive."

"That's all fine and good but let's focus on our own survival first, let me give your Tactical Officer the coordinates and we'll jump there before the Cylons come across us."

Cyprian did not say anything he simply nodded, a sign of his approval of the plan.

**Sertis - Beta System: **

With a flash the Stryker and its small flotilla of ships jumped into the Sertis-Beta System, the location where the secret base of Admiral Stryker was said to have been located.

"Have Major Artemisia send two pilots out there to see if they can spot the base Major Wallace told us about," Cyprian ordered.

"Sending word to her now," Suman said as he transmitted the Commander's orders to the Stryker's CAG.

A minute later he announced, "She's sending Ensigns Stryker and Ware on the recon mission, they are on their way to the hangar as we speak."

Seven minutes passed until word reached the CIC that the Vipers had been launched.

**Orbit of the planet Sionia: **

"Looks like this place hasn't been touched in some time," Stryker said through his headset.

"It's been some time since a Colonial was last out here," Ware said.

"Yeah, I'm picking up a visual on some debris up ahead. If it's what I think it's from we may want to fly around it," Stryker said. He looked to his left and in the distance he saw the object he was looking at, the Little Big Horn Nebula.

"My grandfather talked about Admiral Ozawa at times, said he rushed in and got his ass handed to him," Ware said.

Vice Admiral Yoshiro Ozawa had been in command of the Colonial Seventh Fleet when he received a report that the Cylons were massing their forces in the Sertis-Beta System near the Little Big Horn Nebula. He took his force of eight escort battlestars and five battlestars and headed into battle before the other fleets were prepared to join him, the result was a massacre as the Cylons obliterated the entire Seventh Fleet. The names of the eight _Orianos_ class escort battlestars were immortalized on a wall in the Colonial Fleet section of the Cylon War Museum in Auburn, Caprica along with the other ships that were lost in battle during the conflict: _Virago, __Deucalion, Bellatrix, __Zerast_, _Mauritius, Dunedin, Absalon, _and _Arun. _The five battlestars were listed on that same wall; the _Coronis, Glorious,_ _Malabar, _and _Temeraire_. Also lost in the battle were Rear Admirals Randall Olson and Audra Cantrell.

The destruction of the Seventh Fleet's battlestars and support vessels cleared the way for a Cylon onslaught that could have caused massive destruction on all twelve colonies had it not been stopped at the Battle of Glennon. Even then, that battle had proven costly to the Colonial Fleet in terms of both materiel and personnel losses suffered during the battle.

"I'm sure my grandfather would have said something similar if I had asked him about it," Stryker said as the two Vipers sped over the remnants of what had once been the proud vessels of the Colonial Fleet.

Neither of the pilots talked each other as they navigated their way across the wreckage of the ships, as though to even engage in conversation was something that would do a disservice to those who had lost their lives here at this location.

Ware looked towards the outer edge of the nebula, with planet Sanjin close by in the distance, when she thought she saw something.

Once they were clear of the wreckage she said, "Hey Torch follow me, I think I see something."

"Copy that Two Shots, I'll follow your lead," he said as he placed his Viper behind hers as she lined up her Viper for an intercept course with whatever it was she had seen.

Minutes passed as they zeroed in on the structure that Ware thought she had spotted. The Stryker was closing behind, trying to stay close enough in case trouble came their way.

"I see it!" Ware exclaimed as she saw the structure. It was a three ringed structure with a central core connected to the various docking areas; it looked as though it was here waiting for someone to find it and put it to use. At least that was how it appeared on the outside…

"Stryker this is Two Shots, Torch and I have found the base," Ware said.

"Two Shots this is Actual," Cyprian said, "Do you see where we can dock?"

"Affirmative, I see several docking clamps where you can dock with the station."

"Go ahead and return home, we'll dock and take it from there."

**Stryker, CIC: **

"Helm, dock us with that station. Major Wallace, you and I are going to board that station and see what's on there," Cyprian said as he turned to see where Wallace was at.

"With all due respect Commander, I believe you should stay here," Wallace said as he got close enough so only Cyprian and he could talk.

"This is something that can have an effect on what happens to my ship and crew; I need to see what is on that station."

"You have to trust me, remember how Stryker trusted me. That should say plenty to you. I don't even know what's on the other side of that station, you are right about one thing…the Stryker and its crew needs you. This is one of those occasions where you need to trust me."

Cyprian wanted to argue but he decided that he could at least trust Wallace on this one, "Alright Wallace, get down to the air lock and when we have a hard seal you can board the station. I am going to have the Marines give you a wireless set and you will check in me to let me know what progress you are making and what you find over there."

"Will do and you know I prefer to be called 'Arthur' right?"

"Well truth is we're nowhere near the point where I'm calling you by your first name. Just grin and bear it Wallace…oh and get your ass over to that station so we can see what we've come across."

Without a word Wallace left the room and headed for the airlock he had used for boarding the administration station at the Heraclea Salvage Company.

Cyprian turned his attention to Bradford, "I want us to stay at Condition One and have Viper Squadron One and Raptor Squadron One deployed until Wallace returns from the station. I want the other squadrons in their ready rooms ready to launch if I give the order."

"Mr. Suman, let our other ships know that they are to take up a defensive formation to keep our civilian ships safe. They are not to go down from Condition One unless I order them to do so," he ordered and waited at the Command and Control Station hoping that the Cylons would show up. The worlds were going to hell and he had no idea just what was going to happen but just maybe they had enough of a reprieve for the ships and their crews to get their bearings.

**Viper Squadron Two Ready Room: **

"We are still here at Condition One for the time being. Commander Cyprian has given orders for all Viper squadrons to be ready to deploy on a moment's notice. For the time being we are all here until either we're summoned to fight against the Cylons or we cease to be at Condition One," Captain Caitlyn 'Cavalier' Raborn said from her podium. The ready room had at one point in time resembled the kind that would have been found on an older battlestar such as the Galactica. When the Orion class battlestars were given an extensive overhaul designed to extend their lives further the ready rooms and other interior rooms were redesigned to give it a more modern feel. To Raborn this room was a sort of hybrid between the two, only because she had seen pictures of the Orion that had been taken before its refit.

"Do we know anything else that happened?" Lieutenant Rayen 'Crash' Zyanya asked.

"At this time all we know is that the Cylons have attacked the Colonies and the Fleet has suffered severe losses," Raborn replied.

"Is that what happened at the dock during the ceremony?" Ensign Atifa 'Game Show' Shirin asked.

Raborn nodded, "Yes, the Cylons were so focused on the new Stryker that it bought us the time we needed to get away from the dock and jump away from here."

"What are we going to do if they find us?" Lieutenant Niusha 'Dagger' Khurshid asked.

"We're going to do what we're trained to do and that's fly our Vipers to take out the enemy. This isn't the Erebea or the Eastern Alliance we're dealing with here. These are the frakking Cylons and from the reports I've read the toasters are determined to wipe us out," Raborn said as she mentally checked all of the information that had been shared with the leaders of the Stryker's squadrons.

"We can do that," Ensign Valerija 'Gadget' Senka

"I second that, we've trained for this," Lieutenant Tsubasa 'Electroman' Katsuro said.

"Get us out there and we can put in some payback for our people the Cylons killed," Lieutenant Sebastian 'Gunslinger' Waldemar announced.

"Easy there," Raborn cautioned, "We have a chance to get out there and shoot some Cylons but we have to be careful about it."

"What do you mean?" Ensign Tore 'Sandman' Hjalmar asked.

"Going by everything we know…well let's face it we're not sure what other battlestars are still out there. If you get killed out there then that's one less pilot the Stryker has at its disposal. I don't need to start losing pilots, especially to recklessness," Raborn said. The situation they were in required a combination of both audacity and restraint with how they dealt with the Cylons.

"So we get to engage the enemy but you don't want us to push our luck?" Lieutenant Steffen 'Point Man' Werner asked.

"I'd rather we go that route before start losing too many pilots in battle," Ensign Marita 'Raven' Gunvor said.

"Same here, being picked off by the Cylons because I was reckless would just be insulting," Ensign Katharina 'Meteor' Rakel said.

"Just hang tight here for now and when we get the call we'll make out way to our Vipers and fly out to engage the toasters," Raborn said as she left the podium to head to the adjacent office. The pilots would do what they could to entertain themselves until the call came in. She only hoped that when they did see combat that they would all come back to their ship in one piece.

**Seventeen Minutes Later: **

**Airlock 3-C: **

Wallace stood there in front of the airlock waiting for the clearance to cross over onto the station. He held the wireless set provided by the Marines and waited to hear the words. He had a sidearm strapped to his belt and in his pocket were pages from Stryker's journal that dealt with this base. He had photocopied them so that he would not need to bring the whole journal with him. When he was done he would burn the pages to make sure anyone would see them. He may have revealed the existence of the journal to a select few, but he was not about to let another soul look upon the contents of its pages. That was one promise he did not want to break to Admiral Stryker.

'Well Admiral, if this station is anything like what how it read in your journal then you are going to be vindicated for having never trusted the Cylons,' he thought to himself. He remembered the times when visited Stryker on Picon and the subject of the Cylon War came up. The old warrior's eyes would flash that hardened resolve of his, the same will that helped to forge the militaries of twelve independent worlds into one single fighting force. He trusted the Cylons less than he trusted the Tolan family...and his ill feelings towards them ran deep.

He had read Stryker's journals about the mission to Canceron to enlist the aid of Carl Tolan and his criminal organization, the Basileus, in order to help drive the Cylons from the major cities of Canceron. After that he held Carl Tolan and the Basileus in a contempt that came close to his feelings for the Cylons.

"Major Wallace this is Actual, we have a hard seal with the airlock. You are cleared to board the station."

"Copy that Actual, I'll see you when I'm done," Wallace said before he pressed the button to open the airlock. For the first time in over forty years the secret base of Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker was about to be boarded.


	4. Chapter 4: Out of Harm's Way

**Chapter Four: Out of Harm's Way**

**Stryker's Base of Operations: **

Ministry of Intelligence Major Arthur Wallace stepped through the airlock once the doors came apart to reveal the dimly lit interior of the secret station that had been constructed by Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker.

He had a wireless set that was connected to the Command and Control Station in the CIC of the Battlestar _Stryker_.

The need to keep Commander Jerome Cyprian updated on all that he was finding on the station was a top priority.

Wallace had gone to the _Stryker_'s print shop and made copies of the important parts of Admiral Stryker's journals that dealt with this base.

The corridor led into some sort of loading bay; there was no telling when was the last time it had been used though the equipment looked as though it had not been idle for less than a few years.

On the far side was a set of blast doors with a security screen to the right of it.

Above the entrance to the loading bay was a nameplate, the gold lettering spelled out the name Amasen.

'The famed lost continent of Aquaria,' Wallace noted.

Legend told that Aquaria had a huge continent named Amasen that had been lost to the ocean and was fated never to be found.

'This must be the entrance to the interior,' Wallace thought as he walked across the walkway that led to the dock where the equipment had been parked.

As he walked, his mind went back to the last time he had heard the name Amasen.

_**Six Years before the fall:**_

_**Marco Island, Aquaria:**__  
_

_Lieutenant Arthur Wallace of the Ministry of Intelligence looked at the house and checked the address that was written on the paper he held in his hand._

_This seemed out of place to him. Marco Island was not exactly a place where he would expect to be summoned, but he trusted the man enough to not question. _

_The mobile phone in his pocket began to ring. _

_He put it to his ear after hitting the Accept button but before he could say anything he heard, "Arthur, walk up to the door and open it. Yyou look like one of those damn tourists with the way you're standing there."_

"_I should have known you'd be here early," Wallace said with a smile as he ended the call and walked up to the front door. It opened promptly and standing in the doorway was a large man wearing the uniform of a Marine. _

"_Temir, it's been some time," Wallace said as he held out his hand to offer a handshake. _

"

_It's been some time, Arthur. I heard about Canceron. The Admiral had some pointed words about the planet," Temir Serik, the head of the security detail for the Admiral said. _

"_I have no doubt about that," Wallace said as he followed Serik into the house. They walked down the hallway until they reached the living room. _

"_Glad you could make it, Arthur," Admiral Jonas Stryker said from where he was sitting. From where his chair was situated, he was able to look out a sliding glass door and have an unobstructed view of the tranquil Rufaro Sea. _

"_I don't know what is more surprising, the fact that you intentionally came to Marco Island or that you brought your head of security with you; no offense, Temir." _

"_None taken," he said. _

"_Even though it's grown to be some sort of tourist destination I have nothing against the island. As for Temir, the man was missing Aquaria and since I was coming here anyway I'd figure he'd want to come along," Stryker said as he took a sip of water. _

_The man was in his nineties but looked as though time had been kind to him. _

"_Why are you here?" Wallace asked. _

"_I decided to do something for you after all you went through on Canceron last month," Stryker said as he began to get out of his chair. _

"_The Basileus shootout. I had a feeling you'd find out about it." _

"_Those damn Tolans and their fraking crime syndicate; they're nothing but blight on our society," Stryker spat. _

"_You won't hear me say otherwise," Wallace said before adding, "It got tense down there. If Roosevelt hadn't bought me the time to reload my weapon…" _

_Stryker walked up and put his hands on Wallace's shoulders to give them a fatherly squeeze, "The fact is that you did make it out of there. That's why I'm here. This house is yours along with everything in it. I know you remember why you joined the Ministry of Intelligence and that's why you have this place as sort an unofficial headquarters. From here, you'll be able to plot the destruction of the MoI." _

"_Thank you, it's just that I don't know if this would work. It's only one floor." _

"_Actually, it's got two basement levels. The previous owner built the second basement floor as a bunker of sorts." _

_Wallace looked and saw a painting of a giant tsunami wave crashing down onto a lush green landscape. Stryker noticed Wallace's gaze. "That is a painting of Amasen." _

"_The lost continent of Aquaria," Wallace muttered._

**Base of Operations, Present Day**

He touched the control panel where the screen above the keypad came to life.

It had a question on there for him: _What city was I born in?_

Wallace knew enough of Stryker's history to answer that one.

He spent most of his life in Hyperion Bay but he was actually born in the city of Aquarius.

He entered the name Aquarius and another question popped up: _Who was I named after?_

"Wallace, what's going on over there?" Commander Jerome Cyprian asked.

There had been a connection between Wallace's wireless headset and the Command and Control Station back on the _Stryker_.

"I'm at a loading dock; Stryker has put up password questions and I'm answering one now."

"Copy that and let me know when you get past it."

"Will do, Commander," Wallace said as he began to mentally search for the answer to the question.

If he couldn't remember it, then would it be in the journal?

He thought he had the answer and felt mostly correct about it.

If there were a time to gamble, it would probably be now when the worlds were falling apart around them. Jonas Howard Ingram.

The man Admiral Stryker was named after was his great-grandfather on his mother's side.

He entered typed the answer and when he hit the 'Enter' key he was rewarded with yet another question: _Where was my first posting in the military?_

There were two possibilities but he tried to remember which post was Stryker's first.

Was he at the Whitehurst Air Station in Hyperion Bay or was it when he was an ensign on the corvette Elden?

Wallace thought about it for what felt like an eternity until he remembered that Stryker was originally going to be assigned to Whitehurst for a month before he was assigned to the _Elden_, a fact that not many people would have remembered.

However, before Stryker's arrival to Whitehurst, he was re-assigned to the _Elden_, a month ahead a schedule.

Wallace read the next question: _Who is Lorne Greene Stryker?_

Wallace was fortunate that he was perhaps the only person alive who knew the answer to that question.

Wallace slowly typed in the answer and waited to see what would happen next.

There was a sudden metallic clanking sound as the large cargo bay door began to open.

He was now allowed access to the interior of the station.

The corridor had more lighting, which helped to dispel the eerie feeling the station seemed to emit.

There had to be an elevator somewhere nearby, if he could find it and take it to either the CIC of the station or the engineering department.

As he went about his search, Wallace was amazed at how Stryker was able to use his power to get this station built and stocked.

He admired the man's cleverness to hide the base near a nebula and have it coated with the experimental stealth technology to render it invisible to DRADIS.

_**Stryker**_** CIC: **

"How long do you think it'll be until he gets to the heart of the station?" Colonel Alan Stryker asked.

"I don't even think Major Wallace has an idea how long it's going to take and if he does; well, I don't see him letting us know," Cyprian said.

"Commander, the civilian ships and our escorts have entered the nebula as you ordered," Lieutenant Rajesh Suman said after reading the report that had come in.

"Excellent," Cyprian said before turning to the Tactical Station where Lieutenant Colonel Cecil Bradford and Lieutenant Rebekka Stotland were monitoring for any signs of visitors whether they are friendly or otherwise.

"Commander," Stotland called out from her post at the far wall of Tactical.

"What is it Ms. Stotland?" Cyprian asked as he walked over to her station.

"Lieutenant Suman has been giving me a listing of all of the battlestars that have been reported lost to the Cylons. We have already lost a quarter of the fleet and the number is growing. With all due respect, sir, if we're not careful there may not even be a Colonial Fleet left to fight alongside against the Cylons."

Cyprian took in this information and said, "I want you to keep this just between us. The last thing we need right now is for this information to get out and demoralize the crew further."

"Understood, sir," Stotland said before going back to looking over the dispatches that Suman had sent over to her.

**Base of Operations, Top Level: **

It had taken some time but he had managed to find the elevator needed to take him to the upper levels of the base.

Wallace stepped out of the elevator and into a short, dimly lit corridor; he had to wonder if this was a choice Stryker made to conserve power, or simply to play with the minds of unwanted guests.

If it was the latter then he had to admit that Stryker had done an incredible job.

He pulled out the pages of Stryker's journal and consulted it to get an idea of his location.

This level was apparently used as living spaces and meeting areas for higher-ranking officers.

That meant if he went up just a little further then he would reach the CIC of the base.

Twenty-Eight Minutes Later:

_Stryker_, CIC:

"Are you there, Cyprian?" Wallace's voice asked as it crackled over the loudspeaker.

"I'm here Wallace, what's going on?"

"I've made my way into the CIC. Give me a few minutes and I think I can have this place up and running."

"That's the kind of good news we need. I'm going to get things ready on my end, just let me know when we can board people."

"I think it'd be best if you and a small group come over and inspect this place along with me. I'm still finding out about what Stryker had set up here."

Wallace walked over to what he thought was the Command and Control Station.

He placed his notes on the display table and sat down in the chair that faced the bank of monitors.

Flipping a switch he watched as the monitors came to life for what he was sure was the first time in a while.

As he had expected, there was yet another question that he had to answer before he could continue: _Who was my first Commanding Officer?_

He quickly began consulting the journal in hopes that Stryker had put the information in there.

Wallace had to admit that in some ways it seemed as though the admiral was testing him from beyond the grave.

'You always told me never to be complacent,' Wallace thought as he scanned over the entries in the journal until he found his answer. He quickly entered Major Nathaniel Abbott.

Abbot was the CO of the corvette _Elden_ and Wallace had remembered Stryker mention the time he served under him.

Several items popped up on the screen with names that Wallace recognized…except for one. It was titled _Project Kadian_. Wallace had no idea what it was.

He clicked on it and a question greeted him: _What was my most controversial promotion?_

This had come up in several conversations before Stryker's death three years ago. Wallace entered the name: Admiral John Kronus.

At the Battle of Cosmora, when it seemed that the Colonial Fleet was about to be lost to the Cylons ,it was Kronus who had taken command of the fleet once it was clear all of the senior officers above him were either dead or incapacitated.

It was at this time the Cylons had boarded the Battlestar _Achilles_ and it was in danger of being lost.

In the aftermath, Kronus had managed to turn the tide against the Cylons, Stryker had promoted Kronus to flag rank over the objections of several members of the Admiralty and Fleet Admiral George Nelson who personally liked Kronus but thought he lacked the experience to be a flag officer.

Wallace had hoped that would suffice, but he was greeted with still another question: _How long did I try to save the Leonidas? _

The _Leonidas_ was one of the four experimental battlestars built when the concept of the battlestar was being tested.

Among the two names picked were the _Leonidas_ and the _Victorious_.

The _Victorious_ was lost during the First Battle of Cimtar.

The_ Leonidas_ survived the war with an impressive list of awards and commendations.

It had been hoped that the ship could be saved; but despite the best efforts of those involved in the museum effort, the veteran battlestar was sent to be scrapped at the Verona Salvage Company.

It had been said that the failure to save the _Leonidas_ was a huge blow to Stryker.

Wallace entered the number: Eight years

Officially, Stryker got involved two years before but he had worked behind the scenes for almost a decade trying to save the ship had that been his flagship during the Cylon War.

Stryker had said before that he felt a spiritual connection to the _Leonidas_.

Wallace still remembered the day when the _Leonidas_ went into oblivion…

_Five Years Before the Fall: _

_Picon, Stryker Residence: _

_Captain Arthur Wallace of Ministry of Intelligence entered the study and saw Stryker standing in front of the large television that was mounted to the wall. _

"_I got the news," Wallace said. _

_Stryker's attention was focused on the screen. _

_Without saying a word, he pressed a button to turn the volume up on the television. _

"_Today, the fleet tug Moreno began the process of towing the decommissioned Battlestar _Leonidas_ from the Inactive Reserve to its final destination at the Verona Salvage Company where it will be torn apart for scrap. The veteran of the Cylon War and flagship of Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker languished as several museum groups attempted to save the ship as a memorial to the Colonial Fleet and its personnel lost during the war with the Cylons. The Leonidas, sold for a large sum of cubits, was also the setting for the Dathan award-winning series _Leonidas_. President Richard Adar has been accused of using his influence to get the Colonial Fleet to send the venerable battlestar to the scrap yard rather than working with a museum group. A spokesperson for the Adar Administration dismissed the charges and insisted that the personal acrimony between President Adar and Admiral Stryker played no part in the decision to scrap the_ Leonidas_," the news reporter said as the tow of the _Leonidas_ was visible in the background from where the news crew had set up at Docking Section 2-A of the Inactive Reserve Fleet's facilities at Aerilon. _

"_Adar's not holding a grudge against me; if he's not then that makes me the King of Aquaria," Stryker said with disgust. _

"_You did all you could," Wallace said hoping he would not sound as dejected as Stryker did. _

"_Eight years, Arthur, and that bastard stonewalled every attempt I made to save the _Leonidas_. I remember the work on those experimental battlestars. All that time spent bringing the concept to life, and that sorry excuse for a president throws the last vestige of that time away," Stryker said as he downed a glass of water and sat it down hard on the table. _

Wallace shook away the memory of that day; there would be time to reminisce about the past later. Right now, he had to get to the CIC of the base and turn on all the systems. He opened the file and began reading its contents…

**CIC, Stryker's Base of Operation:**

"I think it'd be best if you and a small group come over and inspect this place along with me. I'm still finding out about what all Stryker had set up here," Wallace said over the wireless.

He was looking over the CIC and now that he had the lights turned on, the room was impressive.

It seemed as though Admiral Stryker fully intended for this base to serve in a new war with the Cylons.

"We'll be there in fifteen minutes," replied Cyprian.

"Make it thirty minutes," Wallace said.

He had caught something in the databanks that he had not expected, something he never once recalled Stryker speaking about.

Truth was that fifteen minutes would be plenty of time but Wallace needed to look over this new information and make sure Cyprian or his crew could not find it.

"Any reason why?" Cyprian asked as he tried to hide any trace of irritation.

"It will take me thirty minutes to get back and it seems that the defense resets each time. I will need to re-enter the information again so your team can progress."

"Then thirty minutes it is. I'll let you know when we board the station," Cyprian said before motioning to Suman to sever the connection.

**Battlestar Stryker, Commanding Officer's Office:**

"All right, here is the plan," Cyprian announced to his senior staff, "I plan to leave Colonel Stryker and Lieutenant Colonel Bradford onboard as CO and XO respectively. I'm taking Lieutenants Stotland and Suman with me. Ensigns Masaru Iwasa, Akina Gozen, John Dahlgren, and Christina Lockwood will come over once we have a better understanding of what's waiting for us over there. They'll lead over a group of four Marines along with Chief Johnston and a group of her knuckle-draggers."

"Do you really trust Wallace?" Bradford asked.

Alan Stryker was going to say something but hesitated before he finally said, "Arthur is practically a member of the Stryker family. Believe me when I tell you that you can trust him."

"We'll go with it for the time being, we should trust Major Wallace until he gives us a reason not to," Cyprian said before adding, "Let's get ready to board that base."

The meeting adjourned with Cyprian, Suman, and Stotland leaving to make their way down to the airlock while Stryker and Bradford made their way back to the CIC.

**Battlestar Stryker, Viper Squadron One Ready Room: **

"Great job on the CAP," Major Irene Artemisia said once Ensigns Paul Stryker and Chelsea Ware had entered the office.

"Thank you, CAG," Stryker said.

"You two worked well today, I know with everything that happened it couldn't have been easy. Your grandfathers would be proud of you."

"I'm sure he would have," Ware said.

Her thoughts went to her grandfather.

Admiral Gary Ware was a Viper pilot during the Cylon War who had gained a great deal of fame and notoriety as a combat ace.

He was a retired flag officer now and at the time of the Cylon attack had been on the _Titan_ class battlestar _Basilisk_ as an observer.

"Get a bite to eat and get some rest, I want my pilots at their best for when the toasters show up again," Artemisia said.

Without a word, the two officers turned and left the office.

"The worlds have been turned on their fraking heads," she muttered after the door had closed.

She had tried to keep her mind focused on her duties as CAG but it was proving to be almost impossible.

By all rights, she should be dead along with the rest of the crew, yet they had somehow managed to survive.

The problem was with those who she knew did not make it.

Commander Jason Aeneas and the senior staff had already made their way over to the new _Stryker_ to get it ready for the dual decommissioning/commissioning ceremony.

Her promotion to Major was going to be temporary until the air group could be offloaded onto the new battlestar.

Her eyes glanced over to the photo of her family that she kept on her desk.

It was a photograph of her husband, Rafael, and their two daughters.

Erica and Janet were nine and eight and the more she thought about it the more her anger began to burn towards the Cylons.

She hated to think about it but the odds were that her whole family had been wiped out when Gemenon had been nuked.

Her right fist slammed down hard onto the desk, causing all of the items on it to shake and fall over, and it was all she could do not to let out a frustrated scream.

She felt a small sense of relief that nobody was there to see her like this. Outside the office, she would put on the mask of a fearless leader, but inside here when she was alone she could allow her emotions to show.

**Battlestar Stryker, Guest Quarters (Cedric and Emilia Stryker):**

Stryker and Ware were planning to get some rest but at his insistence, they made their way to the guest quarters assigned to his parents and two sisters.

When he and Ware walked through the hatch, they saw his parents playing some sort of board game with Georgia and Elizabeth, whom everyone called Lizzie.

"Paul!" Lizzie exclaimed as she ran up and gave her brother a hug.

"Hey, Lizzie," Stryker said as he gave his youngest sister a loving squeeze.

"Have you heard anything about Joe?" Georgia asked.

Stryker looked at his parents briefly as though they could give him the answer he was supposed to give, "Nothing yet but there's hope that he escaped the destruction on Picon."

"I guess that's better than nothing," Georgia said.

She was unable to hide the disappointment she felt at not knowing if their brother was alive or not.

"Who's your friend?" Lizzie asked.

"I'd like for you to meet Ensign Chelsea Ware, she's a friend of mine from our days at the Fleet Academy," Stryker said as he stepped out of the way so his family could see her better.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Ware," Cedric Stryker said.

"Paul had mentioned you whenever he would write to us from the Academy. You're the granddaughter of Gary Ware, am I right?" Emilia Stryker asked.

"That's right, I'm sort of following in his footsteps as a Viper pilot," Ware said.

"Nice to see the Ware family is continuing its history of military service," Cedric said before asking, "Just how much of your grandfather's personality do you have?"

Ware was quiet for a moment as she tried to put together her answer. "I like to think I have my grandfather's skills in the cockpit, but beyond that I like to think I've forged my own path."

"Enough talk about that," Emilia said as she took a seat at the small table in the guest quarters, "The galley will be bringing dinner up for us. It's an advantage of being a Stryker on the _Stryker_ I suppose."

"It does have its perks. Let's enjoy dinner and maybe we can find a happier topic to discuss," Cedric said.

**Battlestar Stryker, Viper Squadron One Ready Room: **

Ensigns Nalani Haukea and Spyro Tryphon were in the squadron ready room watching a movie with Lieutenants Claudio Roma and Nico Bautista. The movie, _I Remember Virgon,_ starred Joandra Zavia and Alya Tabassum and dealt with two friends who could not remember the previous night they had spent in Boskirk. It was not a particularly memorable movie but considering recent events it was a distraction.

"Rumor has it we've found some sort of base," Bautista said as he stretched in his seat.

"That's the rumor but there's no telling what we've really found," Tryphon said.

"If it will give us some refuge from the Cylons, then I'm all for it," Haukea added.

"Spoken like an Aquarian," Bautista said to her.

"No, an Aquarian would add in that we'd regroup and give the Cylons an ass-kicking like Admiral Stryker," Roma said.

"Get you two Aquarians together and these things happen," Tryphon said.

"I don't mind though. Stryker did help put a boot up their toaster asses," Bautista said.

"We at least have a Stryker onboard in our squadron, and the ship bears his name," Haukea said.

"Where on Aquaria are you two from?" Tryphon asked. He had only been on the_ Stryker_ for a month following his transfer from the battlestar _Temeraire._

"I'm from Fort Hawkins and Roma here is from New Aquarius," Haukea responded.

"My parents were researchers on Numitor Island. I remember visiting the Stryker Museum and my parents told me I caught the bug to join the Colonial Fleet," Roma said as his voice began to trail off as he thought of his family back home.

None of the pilots would admit that the movie was a temporary diversion from what was really on their minds; the fact was that their loved ones were probably dead now due to the Cylon attack on the planets they called home.

"What are you watching?" Ensign Thomas Eversole asked when he made his way to where the group was sitting.

"_I Remember Virgon. _ It was going to be either that or one of the movies from _The Avenging_ _Angel_ series," Roma said.

"What were you doing before you came here?" Haukea asked.

"Flex and I were in the gym getting some time with the weights," Eversole said.

"Where is Flex now?" Bautista asked.

"He's in the showers now and then he's heading to the mess for some grub," Eversole said. Lieutenant Woodrow 'Flex' Graham was known for many things and one of them was that he was a known prankster, a reputation he had earned when he was stationed on the battlestar _Illustrious_.

**Battlestar Stryker, CIC:**

Lieutenant Colonel Cecil Bradford and Colonel Alan Stryker were standing at the CIC going over the traffic that was coming in from the various departments of the ship.

"How does it feel to be back on duty?" Bradford asked.

Alan shrugged, "It's taken some getting used to but it's like getting back on a bicycle after not riding it for some time."

"For what it's worth, I'm glad to have you here with us."

"That's the part that has me curious. You were the XO of this ship and you gave it up. Most officers I know would hold on to a position like that. How come you let yourself get demoted?"

"It seemed the right thing to do once you were brought back to active duty."

Alan nodded, "Now that we have the lie out of the way you can go ahead and tell me the truth."

"I started to panic when the Cylons hit us. I know the Commander pulled it together and got us out of there but I could not shake whatever it was that hit me. That is not the quality of an XO, and if I were in the same situation, there's no telling if I could shake it or if it would paralyze me again. I wish I could say I was like you and came from a family that bred leaders. My job was to help inactivate and prepare battlestars for long-term storage and that is what I did. I just have a hard time imagining myself as a combat person."

Alan was quiet for a moment before he said, "Let me fill you in on a secret. I was on the _Talos_ when there was an explosion, we later learned a sympathizer with the Sagittaron Liberation Army set it, and there were several members of the crew trapped in a compartment. I volunteered to lead a rescue group into the rubble to pull them out of there. That was when I was injured and saw my career end. Truth be told, I was scared when I first went in there. I didn't freeze but there was a sense of dread that I had to force out of my mind. You push that fear away and you do the damn job."

"If something happens to you while Cyprian is over on that base then I need to push away my doubts and do the job," Bradford said as he began to understand what Colonel Stryker was getting at.

**Stryker's Base of Operations (Amasen): **

"Commander, I'm glad you and your people could make it," Wallace said when he met up with Cyprian and his group.

"You had your half hour, did it help any?" Cyprian asked as he took in the sight of the interior corridor.

"Yes it did, I was able to get the interior lighting going again so it's a lot easier to see. If you'd follow me," Wallace said as he made his way down the corridor with the four members of the Stryker's crew in tow.

"Big place," Suman said once they had entered the loading bay.

"Is that you're professional opinion, Lieutenant?" Stotland teased.

"I don't know how he managed all this," Cyprian admitted.

"Admiral Stryker stayed busy even after he had retired from active duty," Wallace said.

"He and I would have different ideas of how to keep busy," Suman joked.

"When we would talk about it I got the impression that he always thought the Cylons would return," Wallace said as he entered the answer to unlock the loading bay doors.

"Looks like the man ended up being more right than even he realized," Cyprian said.

It was during this brief time that he began to think of his girlfriend. Adriana White was a nurse back on Caprica, having spent most of her life in Delphi. They had been talking about moving in together, it was just a matter of picking a house in Delphi and him selling his house on Virgon.

'Not now, Cyprian, you have a job to do,' he thought as he chastised himself for thinking of her at a time like this.

"For what it's worth, I was reading over Stryker's journal and it explained a lot about this place," Wallace offered.

"I'll bite," Cyprian said before asking, "How did Stryker pull this off?"

"However he did it, I have to say this place is impressive," Stotland offered.

"Looking at the images sent from the Vipers' wing cameras I know there's something familiar about the design," Suman said.

"That's because we are on what was once a battlestar," Wallace said and looked behind him to see the reaction of the three officers.

"That would explain a lot but this doesn't look like the interior of a battlestar," Cyprian said.

"Going by what I read, this was the original, the first Battlestar _Nelson_ and Stryker modified it to what it is now," Wallace said.

"I thought the _Nelson_ was sold for scrap once it had been decommissioned after the war?" Stotland asked.

"The _Nelson_ was never finish because of the heavy damage the dry dock received during a Cylon raid. However, the repair team noticed that the ship's frame was in a great material condition. When she was ultimately sold for scrap, Stryker used his connections to buy the ship," Wallace said.

"I thought it was sold to one of the salvage yards near Virgon," Stotland said as though it was not possible they were on some repurposed battlestar.

"It was sold to Norvell Salvage, which was a company that Admiral Stryker was a silent partner in. He simply used it as a front to buy the _Nelson_ and use it for this purpose," Wallace said.

"Why doesn't the inside look like a battlestar?" Cyprian asked.

"From what I read in the journal it appears Stryker had the entire interior gutted and it was redesigned to serve as a station. The flight pods were retracted permanently into the hull, the engines were cut off, and other alterations made to the hull to turn it into what we see now. Stryker swore the workers to secrecy with dire consequences if they revealed this base. He even had the _Nelson_ covered in a stealth composite material to render it invisible to DRADIS," Wallace said, as he felt a sense of awe at what Admiral Stryker had accomplished.

"If there is such a thing as the afterlife, then I think Stryker would be pleased we found it," Suman said.

"If there is such a place, then Stryker is trying to find a way to come back to life so he can be in the thick of the fight against the Cylons," Wallace retorted.

"You must have known the man really well," Cyprian commented.

"He often told me I was like a son to him and his wife; he said I reminded him back of his younger days in the Aquaria military," Wallace said as he studied a map he had missed earlier before main power had been turned on.

"Where are we heading to?" Suman asked.

"We should head to the CIC, from there we can get in touch with the _Stryker_ and start getting a better grasp of our tactical situation," Cyprian said.

**Ten Minutes Later: **

"This is different from how I imagined it," Cyprian said once they stepped off the elevator and onto the deck of the CIC.

"Same here, but it seems Stryker designed a layout he thought would work better than what was on the _Nelson_," Wallace said as he walked over to where the Command and Control Station was located.

"I suppose so," Cyprian said as his eyes scanned the room to see where the stations for Tactical and Communications were located.

"I'll go look for my station," Stotland said before turning to Suman, "Raj, you check the other side of the room and see if Communications is over there."

"This looks like twice the size of a _Mercury_ class CIC," Cyprian noted.

"That's what I thought too, and it seems to have the same type of arrangement just with some areas I think still resemble what you'd find on the _Galactica_," Wallace said.

"A mix of the old and the new; it's like what we have on the _Stryker_ when you think about it," Cyprian said as he looked over the displays on the screens at Command and Control.

"Looks like the weapons systems are online and functioning," Stotland said from Tactical as she put the systems through their paces to make sure they were in working order.

"It's good that they know how to point but do they have ammo?" Cyprian asked.

"Yes sir, I'm looking over the inventory and there is ample ammunition and supplies for both military and civilian personnel," she responded.

"If you don't mind my saying, it's probably time we get those civilians off the _Stryker_ and onto here," Suman added.

"I have to agree with him, Commander. If we have to take the Stryker into battle, it would be better to have those civilians out of harm's way," Wallace said.

"Mr. Suman, send word to Colonel Stryker that I want all non-military personnel off the _Stryker _and onto this base. Give me a timeframe for making it happen," Cyprian said to Suman before turning his attention to Wallace. "Wallace, did you get a chance to see where the civilian facilities are on here?"

"I did a quick look at the schematics when I was here. Get me some people over here and we can make sure the areas are ready to receive civilians," he said.

"I want you to go back to the _Stryker_ and get with Chief Johnston, lead the group that was supposed to come over after us to the civilian section and make sure the rooms are ready. The sooner we get them offloaded the better I'll feel," Cyprian said as he looked through the surveillance camera footage that was streaming from the cameras throughout the base.

"Will do, Commander," Wallace said as he left the CIC to head back over to the _Stryker_.

"I'm surprised he didn't try to belay that order," Cyprian said and smiled as he saw both Suman and Stotland chuckle at the comment.

"What about the cruisers and frigates we have with us?" Stotland asked.

"Just a moment," Cyprian said as he looked over the list of Commanding Officers for the Colonial Fleet vessels that had joined up with the _Stryker_ in the aftermath of the Cylon attack, "Get me in touch with the _Triton Island_."

"Contacting the _Triton Island_ now," Suman said and moments later, he informed Cyprian that he had the cruiser's CO on the line.

"Commander Gantar, this is _Stryker_-Actual," Cyprian said once he picked up the wireless receiver.

"This is _Triton Island_-Actual hearing you loud and clear, what can I do for you?" asked Commander Martin Gantar.

"Right now, we're in the process of offloading the civilians from the _Stryker_ onto this base. I need you to offload any crew you can spare to assist us, both officers and enlisted, and then I want you to take command of the cruisers and frigates."

"Understood, is there anything else you need?"

"That will be all; I'll be making the same request to the other ships as well. Truthfully, the sooner we can get this base staffed, the sooner we can use it to our advantage."

"I agree with you on that one. We'll dock with the station and start offloading what personnel we can spare," Gantar said before severing the connection.

"That went well," Cyprian commented before having Suman get in touch with the cruisers _Auburn_ and _Tarrant_. Following the cruisers were the frigates _Somerset, Stroude, Argyll, Tamar_, _Eurydice_, and _Ulster_. They did not have as many crew to spare, but Cyprian needed as many as he could get.

"When our people get settled in then it's a matter of what to do with the civilian vessels," Stotland said.

"Once we have things up and going here we'll worry about them, if there's any former Fleet personnel onboard then they'll need to know that they've been recalled to active duty," Cyprian said.

"Commander, Colonel Stryker wishes to escort his family onto the base," Suman said.

Cyprian thought it over, "Permission granted, but as soon as they get to their quarters I want him back on the _Stryker_."

Suman nodded and sent the message to Colonel Stryker.

**One hour and Fifteen Minutes Later: **

At the loading bay where he had first entered the base, Arthur Wallace stood on the dock with Colonel Stryker, a Marine lieutenant, and Chief Johnston facing the civilians who had been onboard the _Stryker_.

"I know this is perhaps confusing for all of you," Wallace began, "Truth is, that lately our entire lives have been turned upside down. However, we have found a refuge for the time being and that is here on this base. When this base was built there was great thought given to the fact that it would eventually house civilians. You will find that your accommodations on here are decidedly better than what you had on the _Stryker_."

"Who's in charge here?" a person in the crowd asked.

"As it was on the ship ultimately Elizabeth Stryker will be in charge with Governor Franklin and Assistant Secretary Sanchez as her top two lieutenants. For security reasons we are also going to have a group of Marines for your protection and to keep you from wandering into areas of the base that are restricted to military personnel only. The officer in charge of the Marines is Lieutenant Octavia Socorro and she will be happy to assist you in whatever way she can," Wallace said as he motioned to his right where Lieutenant Socorro was standing.

"I know you all have questions," Alan Stryker said. "I can assure you that they will all be answered once we're settled on the base. For now just know that you are safe here, much safer than you would have been if you had stayed on the _Stryker_. The last place you needed to be was on a Colonial Fleet vessel that could go into battle at a moment's notice."

Wallace nodded his thanks and entered the password to unlock the loading bay doors; it was time for Amasen to take on its first group of residents.

**Amasen CIC: **

"Before I head back to the ship I want to thank you for letting me escort my family to their quarters," Alan said as he walked to where Cyprian was standing at Command and Control.

"You're welcome, Colonel, I figure your wife and girls would feel better if you were there," Cyprian said.

"They were more relaxed than I thought they would have been. I know it's been hard on all of us. I will head back to the ship and keep you updated on how things are going over there," Alan said as he started to walk away. 

"One thing," Cyprian said as he motioned for Alan to come back over, "If Bradford is the officer in charge then who is serving as his XO?"

"That would be Lieutenant Ivan Hirsch from Tactical," Stryker said before walking off when Cyprian dismissed him.

"Commander, the _Stryker_ is undocking from the station," Stotland exclaimed.

"What's going on?" Cyprian asked as he jetted over to Communications where Suman was stationed.

"I just got a message about a distress call," Suman said.

"Get me a connection before they jump away," Cyprian said.

"Too late, sir, the _Stryker_ has jumped away," Stotland said.

"Commander, there is a more detailed message coming in," Suman said as he printed out the message and handed it to Cyprian.

He looked at it and then read it again. There had been a distress call received from the large supply ships _Banteng_ and _Gokova_. The signal originated from Ostarsis and Colonel Bradford decided that it was worth investigating, because we may need the supplies for the base.

"Mister Suman, I want you to get Colonel Stryker back here ASAP, and send word to Major Wallace that I need him here also. This situation could get complicated," Cyprian said as he wondered what his friend was thinking by taking the_ Stryker_ into a possible trap.


	5. Chapter 5: Shelter from the Storm

**Chapter Five: Shelter from the Storm**

**Amasen, Commanding Officer's Conference Room:**

The Commanding Officer's Conference Room was located in the suite of offices and living spaces that were reserved for whoever would be in charge of running Amasen, though it seemed obvious from the many paintings of Aquaria landscapes that Admiral Stryker must have imagined he would be the one running operations.

There were two people sitting at the large conference table in the middle of the room.

Commander Jerome Cyprian of the Battlestar _Stryker_ and Major Arthur Wallace of the Ministry of Intelligence looked over the reports that had been sent from the _Stryker_ once it had jumped back into the system.

"An entire Viper squadron lost," Cyprian muttered.

"Not that it helps, but the report states that half of the squadron was lost," Wallace said and observed that the attempt to find a silver lining did not go over well with Cyprian.

"This is a catastrophe, Wallace, and to make matters worse it appears that Paul Stryker was among those lost."

"Yeah there's no way I can spin that in a positive light. However, I should point out the pilots who did make it back to the _Stryker_ before it jumped back here," Wallace said as he pointed to a piece of paper in the report that listed the pilots who had survived from _Stryker_'s Viper Squadron One.

"Let's see," Cyprian said as he flipped to the page in the report, "Chelsea Ware, Nico Bautista, Spyro Tryphon, Claudio Roma, Nalani Haukea, Woodrow Graham, and Grazio Lanciere made it back so that is a plus. It also helps that Major Artemisia was able to return to the ship as well. We can confirm that approximately half of the squadron was lost over Ostarsis."

"I was looking for a silver lining to this; I'm afraid we have to take what we can get."

Cyprian nodded and put the report down on the table, "All of these paintings are of Aquaria; Stryker must have thought he would be coming back here to take command."

"He did believe that the Cylons would return one day. I'd say in light of recent events he was right."

"Yeah, but it's a shame there wasn't a person in the higher-ups who believed it as well."

"That's what happens when a group of bureaucrats decide to believe that the father of the Colonial Fleet was just a foolish old man."

"Just so you know, I'm starting to agree with you and it's making me nervous."

"That's an effect most people seem to have when they start to agree with me," Wallace added.

"Our main issue right now," Cyprian said as he changed the subject, "Is the matter of getting this base up and running."

"What are you going to do about running the base and commanding a battlestar?"

Cyprian was quiet for a few moments before he spoke, "I've been mulling that over and I have an idea. I want you to take command of the base. I need to give you something to do and I believe you are more than up to the task."

"Not to mention it gets me out of your hair over on the _Stryker_."

"That too; and it keeps you from constantly belaying my orders," Cyprian said and both men laughed.

"In all seriousness, Commander, I'm honored you'd choose me for the job. I promise I won't make your job more difficult than it already is."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't. I have been mulling over several ideas for what do about Colonel Bradford. I don't exactly blame him for going to Ostarsis, but the way in which it was handled seemed so impulsive. My biggest concern is how the crew will react to him after this. If a crew doesn't care for or trust a member of the senior staff it can do damage to a ship's ability to function properly."

"Not to throw off your thought process but I have an idea."

"Go ahead, Wallace; what is your idea?"

"Assign Bradford to my staff here on the base. He can serve as my second-in-command and help with organizing the various departments. After the debacle at Ostarsis, I don't see the crew of the _Stryker_ having much faith in him either. Being stationed on Amasen can give him a fresh start."

"I'll inform him of that once the debriefing is over. I'm almost afraid of telling the Stryker family that Ensign Stryker did not return from Ostarsis."

"Add that in with Joseph Stryker being at the Fleet Academy when Picon was nuked and it's a task I wouldn't envy you. In all seriousness, I should be the one to tell the Stryker family. You can give Bradford the news whenever he arrives and then we can meet and iron out any remaining details."

"Thanks, and not to change the subject but I'm going to assign both Lieutenant Stotland and Lieutenant Suman to your staff here on Amasen."

Wallace arched an eyebrow, "Any reason why?"

"They've already been on board and seem to have a basic familiarity because of that. I think it would make for a smoother transition to do it that way."

"I had been pondering something along those lines," Wallace said knowing it as a half-truth. He would have requested having Stotland onboard as his Tactical Officer.

"I think they'll be valuable assets to you here on Amasen," Cyprian said.

"Indeed…I had better go tell the Stryker family about Paul. I hope your meeting with Colonel Bradford goes well. Deep down I believe he did what he thought was best."

Cyprian nodded, "I do also, but we cannot afford to go running at the nearest distress call for this very reason. Vipers and pilots are in short supply right now and I cannot afford to lose too many of them."

Wallace left the conference room and started making his way aft toward the living quarters.

By design, they were built as far into the interior in the same way vital areas such as the CIC and other areas reserved for the military.

He thought about Paul Stryker as he walked down the corridor.

Like almost all of the Strykers, he held both Paul and Joseph in the same regard as though they were brothers.

Each of them was determined to carry on the Stryker legacy in the Colonial Fleet.

Now there was the uncertainty over his fate. Had he lost his life over Ostarsis or had he simply been forced to land his damaged Viper on the moon's surface?

If that were the case then had the Cylons gotten hold of him?

"Attention all personnel, Battlestar _Stryker_ has docked at Airlock 3 on the O-6 Level," the voice of Lieutenant Rajesh Suman declared over the station's loudspeaker.

Wallace descended the stairs to the 0-6 Level and continued aft. He mentally chided himself for not keeping his focus on the job at hand, if he allowed himself to get lost in thoughts of worry about those who might have been killed by the Cylons then he would be of little use as the commander of Amasen.

"Major Wallace," a woman's voice said behind him and it brought him out of his thoughts.

He recognized Ensign Chelsea Ware and said, "You don't have to be so formal. I'm more than happy to answer to Arthur."

"Alright then, Arthur, are you heading to see the Strykers?"

Wallace nodded, "I heard the news about Paul and wanted to tell them myself."

For an instant it looked as though she had lost the control of her emotions but she quickly got her composure back, "I'm heading there, too; I was there when the battle took place and I thought they might want to hear it from someone who was there."

"I think they would appreciate it. How are you holding up?"

"I could lie and tell you that I'm fine but you MoI types can probably see through that. I wish he had made it back to the ship, but his grandfather would have been proud of him. He bought time for me and some of the other pilots to get back to the _Stryker_."

"Did you see what happened to his Viper?"

"His Viper took a hit on its dorsal tail and he was heading towards Ostarsis' atmosphere, I'm hoping he was able to make it to the surface."

Wallace thought it over. "It sounds like he was able to do that, or at least that's something we can believe until we know for sure."

They walked by one of the compartments that was serving as a briefing room for the small contingent of Marines that had been transferred to Amasen.

Marine Lieutenant Octavia Socorro was in the process of pointing out the various duty stations where the Marines would be stationed on the base and Wallace listened as she drove home the point of providing security for the civilians that would be housed onboard the station.

"She's going to have the Marines in top shape," Wallace commented. He had taken the time to read Socorro's personnel file and he came away impressed by what he had read.

She was a twenty-six year old lieutenant from Tauron who had graduated from Abry Military Academy on Caprica.

"She looks like she means business. I'm not sure I'd want to be on her bad side," Ware said as the two began walking away from the briefing room and continuing aft toward the civilian quarters.

**Amasen, Commanding Officer's Conference Room:**

The door to the conference room opened and in walked Lieutenant Colonel Cecil Bradford.

Cyprian noticed that the man who had been his friend for several years had a tired look to him with a mix of worry and shame added.

"You know, Cy," Bradford began, using the name that been both Cyprian's nickname and call sign, "I cannot begin to tell you how much I've dreaded this meeting."

"I don't know if you can imagine how I feel about having this meeting. Gods, the worlds have been turned upside down the past few days," Cyprian said before motioning Bradford to take a seat.

"Not much I can say except that I messed this one up and losing those pilots was a tough pill to swallow. For what it's worth, I felt I was doing the right thing."

Cyprian nodded but said nothing at first. "This isn't the outcome I had imagined. I've talked it over with Wallace and I wanted to be the one to tell you; he's being given command of this station and you are going to be assigned here as his Executive Officer."

Bradford's face did little to hide the shock of the news, "Is this really something that needs to be done?"

Cyprian nodded, "Yes it is, and right now we need to get this station up and running. Wallace needs someone to serve as his XO who knows the standards expected of a Colonial Fleet installation. For all I know, Arthur Wallace is one power trip away from becoming a megalomaniac and I need you to help bring balance to that. This is not a demotion or a rebuke for your actions at Ostarsis. You're needed here and you can make more of a difference here on Amasen than you could have in the Tactical Division."

Truth was most of what he was telling Bradford was a lie, but he had decided that out of friendship he would feed the man this story about how much he would be needed here. As for what he had said about Wallace; in truth, the jury was still out on exactly what he thought about the Ministry of Intelligence officer.

"No way I can change your mind on this?" Bradford asked even though he knew the answer.

"Believe me, Cecil, this is the best option we have right now. I believe that with you as his right hand here on this station we'll all stand a better chance of surviving."

Bradford stood up and stepped away from the table, "In that case I'll get my gear from the _Stryker_ and get settled in here on the station."

"When you have this place up and running you'll realize this was a decision for the best."

Bradford simply nodded, "I hope so."

**Amasen, Stryker Family Quarters: **

"Arthur, what are you and Ensign Ware doing here?" Elizabeth Stryker asked when she opened the hatch to let both Wallace and Ware enter the room.

"You may want to sit down," Wallace said as he motioned to a nearby sofa.

Elizabeth did as Wallace recommended. "What's going on?"

Wallace took a nearby seat while Ware remained standing. "There's really no easy way to tell you this. The _Stryker_ answered a distress call from Ostarsis and ran into a Cylon ambush. Viper Squadron One was launched and engaged the Cylons, but half of the squadron was lost."

"Viper Squadron One...," Elizabeth said quietly, and then it dawned on her. "Where's Paul?"

"He drew fire from the half of the squadron that did make it back," Ware began and after momentarily losing her words she said, "As I was touching down I heard him say that he had been hit and was drifting towards Ostarsis. I think he was able to make it to the surface."

"Or he was shot down before he had a chance to escape his Viper," Elizabeth said.

"I know this is has to be hard for you," Wallace said and he knew the words may have sounded hollow to Elizabeth but he continued, "I consider Paul to be like a brother, both he and Joseph, but I would hold out hope that they both are alive and just waiting to be rescued."

"I've been thinking about what it would be like if Jonas were still here, or even if the Cylons had attacked when he was still living," Elizabeth admitted.

"We'd have more confidence in winning the war instead of having to wonder if the officers we had were up to the challenge," Wallace said as he put his hand on Elizabeth's and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I know that we're all going through our own personal hell right now but we're going to come out of this stronger than before."

"You amaze me, Arthur, here you are with your own burden to carry and you're concerned about my family. Have you heard anything from Whitney?"

This time Wallace tried to put on a brave face. "I know I'll hear something from her."

It was a lie and he knew it, but it would defeat the optimism he was trying to project.

Truth was he had received a message from Whitney before he had left for the _Stryker_, but with the thoroughness the Cylons had shown in their onslaught against humanity there was really no telling if she were alive or not.

"I'll keep the same optimism about both Paul and Joseph," Elizabeth said before turning her attention to Ware, "Ensign Ware, I'm grateful to you for coming with Arthur to give me the news about Paul. Promise me you won't feel guilty for making it back, I think my grandson would have been pleased that you made it back to the ship."

"With the history I had with him I believe you," Ware said as she mentally tried to think of Paul as being alive.

It would be better for him to be on the run from the Cylons and alive…anything better than him being dead.

**Kios, Picon: **

**Stryker Residence: **

**40 years, 25 days before the Fall:**

Elizabeth Stryker wanted something to watch something besides the news.

Exactly what was of no concern to her, just something to help take her mind off the recently fought Second Battle of Cimtar.

She would hear snippets about the actions of the Colonial Fleet whenever her husband was home, but after hearing about the battle that had taken place at Cimtar she really did not care for hearing the experts discuss it.

Major Edgar Clement, one of the officers on her husband's staff, had gone to Fleet Headquarters to get a definitive estimate on the losses suffered, if for no other reason than to confirm that Admiral Stryker and the _Leonidas_ had not been destroyed.

He had promised Elizabeth that he would be as fast as he could but ultimately he could make no promises.

The doorbell rang and she opened it expecting to see Clement standing there.

Instead, she was facing an unfamiliar face.

"Mrs. Stryker, I'm Davis McGuire and I'm here on behalf of President Morrigan," the young man said.

"Is there something I can help you with?" she asked, not moving from the doorway to allow McGuire to step inside.

"The President asked me to relay a message to you, and if you don't mind I'd prefer to give you the message inside."

She did not move immediately; instead, she stepped aside to allow him to enter. "The sitting room is to your left. You can have a seat in there."

With the door closed she walked into the sitting room to find her guest sitting there looking somewhat uncomfortable.

"Is there a problem, Mister McGuire?"

"There is really no easy way to tell you this so I will just go on and say it. President Morrigan wishes to express her condolences over the death of your husband."

Elizabeth sat down speechless. "Are you sure of this?"

"She's the President of the Twelve Colonies. If she is sure of something you can bank on it."

"Nobody from Fleet Headquarters has informed me; does she know what happened?"

"The _Leonidas_ was reported destroyed; we intercepted Cylon communiqués that confirm it."

Elizabeth was sure the young man was saying something but she was not hearing any of it. If Jonas was dead then what would happen to her with him gone. She was sure she should be more concerned about the civilians and the Colonial Fleet personnel who looked up to him as a symbol of strength against the Cylons but here and now she was a wife grieving the loss of her husband.

There was a knock on the door but whoever was standing there simply opened it instead of waiting for someone to answer it.

Clement walked in followed by Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker.

"Jonas!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she ran up and wrapped her arms around her husband, "I was told you were dead."

Stryker released his wife's grip around him and stepped towards McGuire. "You're one of Morrigan's lackeys; why did she send you here?"

"Well she had received a report from Colonial Military Intelligence that the _Leonidas_ had been lost during the recent battle at Cimtar," McGuire said though his voice cracked a bit at seeing the anger on Stryker's face.

"You can go tell Her Accidency that I am alive and well and that it was the _Victorious_ that was lost during the battle," Stryker said. The title 'Her Accidency' was the name he had given President Gwyneth Morrigan when she took over as President of the Twelve Colonies following the death of President Robert Walpole.

"I will, Admiral Stryker, it is good to see you alive and well," McGuire said as he beat a hasty retreat from the Strykers' house.

**Present Day: **

Elizabeth held on to that memory and let it give her hope that both Paul and Joseph Stryker were alive and that somehow they would be rescued and the Stryker family made whole again. A tear fell down her cheek before she got her emotions in check, but she refused to let her optimism be dampened.

**Commanding Officer's Quarters: **

Wallace stepped into his quarters and immediately got the impression that Stryker had intended to take personal command of Amasen.

Everything about the room had the look of Stryker's touch, somewhat reminding Wallace of one of Stryker's houses on Aquaria that he used whenever he visited the colony.

'If you saw this place being used now you'd feel vindicated,' Wallace thought to himself as he sat down on the bed and gazed at his surroundings.

Stryker would probably be glad that someone whom he considered to be like a son to him was in control of the station.

This room would serve as his refuge from the craziness that was taking place in trying to get Amasen both provisioned and operating as it was meant to be.

There was one drawback to the solitude his own private quarters brought; it would not keep him away from his thoughts about the people he cared about.

He had a fiancée and he wondered where she was right now and if she was even alive.

The other woman he thought about was a woman he had been ready to kill.

Cinta Melati was the leader of the Erebea, a splinter group of the old Tauron military that had served as a pirate group raiding the convoys ferrying supplies and equipment throughout Colonial space.

His mission with the Ministry of Intelligence had been to ensure that she and the Erebea were destroyed.

In order to accomplish that, he played a vital role in what had been termed 'Operation Postmaster' he had to take on the role of a weapons dealer named William Savedge and convinced Melati that he could provide her with a decommissioned battlestar from which she and the Erebea could launch strikes against both military and civilian targets.

In the time with Melati, the two had become very close and if the Twelve Colonies were gone then there was really no reason for him to end her life.

His people on the battlestar chosen for the exercise, the _Gemenon_, were unaccounted for. The _Libran_, the battlestar tasked with engaging the Erebea during 'Operation Postmaster', was also unaccounted for.

He had hand-selected the crew on the _Gemenon_ and had come to trust each one to the point where he felt they would do whatever it took to save his life.

If they were still out there somewhere then where were they?

His body was trying to tell him it was time to get some rest and as much as he mentally tried to fight it, he soon found himself lying on the bed in a fitful sleep. Maybe, just maybe, he would have a dream about those he wished were still alive out there in some unknown location.

**Thirty-Eight Minutes Later: **

Cyprian navigated the corridors of Amasen, moving out of the way whenever one of the crew carrying a box of supplies passed him. The cargo ships they had encountered in the aftermath of the Cylon attacks were eager to unload some of their supplies; it seemed the ships' captains had a fear of what the military might do if they were denied access. It would all be needed to turn this empty station into a home for the civilians. Not that the base was not already stocked with food and medical supplies, it seemed Admiral Stryker had made sure that if it was needed Amasen would not suffer shortages.

Still it was a welcome relief to have the extra supplies brought onboard; there was no telling how long they would be here, in case a short stay easily turned into an extended one. Bradford was overseeing the unloading of supplies and the enlisted crew that had been transferred over from the _Stryker_ and the other ships in their impromptu task group. Wallace had retired to his private quarters for some much-needed rest; if he were going to run an entire space station then he would need all the rest he could get.

"Hey, Cyprian," a man's voice called out behind him.

Cyprian turned and mentally shouted several curse words when he was who it was.

"You're the one who got my cousin killed," Carl Stryker said as he began making his way towards where Cyprian stood.

"Follow me," Cyprian said as he opened the door to a nearby supply room.

When the door was closed, Carl moved closer to where Cyprian stood, "You really have no clue what you're doing. Letting that incompetent colonel take your ship and get Paul killed."

"For starters, I don't appreciate my friends being insulted like that. Second, there is no way to know for sure that Ensign Stryker is actually dead. Furthermore, I think you're awfully quick to write him off as having died."

"You don't know what you're talking about; you can at least put that idiot on trial for bungling that mission."

"I am doing no such thing. This is a time of war and things happen that are out of our hands. Paul Stryker was a pilot in the Colonial Fleet, he knew the risks were and he did his job without complaining about the situation. He had the sense of honor expected of an officer, something I seriously doubt you could ever understand."

"If you don't do as I want then I can make your life more miserable than it already is. I can turn my family against you, and probably even the people on this station."

"You're awfully smug about this and you think you can really scare me. Listen, you may think you can intimidate me but you're sadly mistaken," Cyprian said as he walked past Carl and began making his way towards the door.

"Don't you turn your back on me, Cyprian," Carl screamed as he lunged to grab Cyprian's shoulder.

Out of instict, Cyprian took Carl's hand and used it to twist his arm until the young man's face was contorted with pain.

"You frakker, I hope your whole family got nuked by the Cylons," Carl hissed.

Cyprian released Carl's arm and followed with a well-placed knee to the groin. Carl Stryker writhed on the floor in agony unable to do anything but moan in pain.

"You shouldn't have brought my loved ones into this argument. Now if you'll excuse me," Cyprian said as he straightened his uniform jacket and left the room to head back to his ship.

Though he would never admit in public the truth was that Carl Stryker had managed to strike a nerve with his comments. Cyprian found his thoughts going to his family and loved ones. His father and stepmother had been on Caprica when the Cylons attacked and he was certain that the toasters had leveled Caprica City to the ground. The odds were that they never stood a chance of surviving. Then there was the matter of his girlfriend, Adriana White, who lived in Delphi and worked as a nurse at the William B. Preston Medical Center. He had read over the reports from Caprica in the crazed aftermath of the attacks before all communications had ceased entirely, and none of what he read gave him any confidence that his loved ones had survived. Like many who had survived the Cylon attack, accepting that the fact that loved ones had been lost and would never come back was an incredibly bitter pill to swallow.

**The Next Day: **

**Amasen, Commanding Officer's Conference Room:**

"The supplies have been loaded onboard and catalogued," Bradford announced.

"Until things are more orderly here on the station I'm assigning Marines to each of the storage rooms so that there is no looting by the civilians," Socorro reported.

"I have all of our weapons systems online and they will be able to respond to any threat that comes our way," Stotland said.

"I have a secure link established between Amasen and the ships that are guarding the base," Suman reported.

"Excellent," Wallace exclaimed with delight at the thought that Amasen was being brought to life by the Colonial Fleet personnel and Marines that had been brought onboard.

"There is still the matter of the civilians that are onboard," Bradford began before adding, "There have been grumblings from various factions about Elizabeth Stryker being in charge and that the military having too much power."

"I suppose I can arrange a meeting with the leaders of the upset factions. How many are we talking about?" Wallace asked.

"The main one you need to worry about is Carl Stryker. It seems that he is stirring up the anti-military protestors who survived the decommissioning ceremony for the _Stryker_," Bradford said.

"I would love to make a truce with the Cylons, a temporary cease fire just so they can put Carl Stryker on a planet and then nuke it again so they don't miss him this time around," Wallace said as he slammed his hand down on the desk for added effect. "That insufferable waste of breath should be thankful that I don't airlock him.

"With all due respect, I think you should tell you how you really feel," Suman said, and the comment drew a chuckle from the others seated at the table.

"I'll meet with him and see if I can get him to play nice. If not I may draft him to the Marines and see if they can shape him into something that may be halfway decent."

"I'll send word to Mister Stryker that you will meet with him," Suman said and when Wallace nodded his approval, he got up from the table and left the room.

"I know you've been busy with getting the supplies loaded and stored away, Colonel Bradford, but it appears I'm going to need you to stand watch in the CIC so that I can meet with Carl Stryker," Wallace said to Bradford and watched as his Executive Officer stepped away from the table and left the room.

"What does that mean for me?" Stotland asked.

"You are going to stay here with me," Wallace said.

"I see; is there a reason why?"

"I want to make sure there's somebody in here whenever I meet with Carl; if I'm alone in the room with him well, it could end badly for him."

"Is there a lot of bad blood between the two of you?"

Wallace nodded. "In all the time I've known Carl he's been nothing but an arrogant jackass with a loathing for his grandfather. He's so anti-military to the point that he's embraced as an icon by those types of people."

"If he's so opposed to the military then why did he attend the decommissioning ceremony?"

"He organized a mass protest against the Colonial Fleet that was supposed to take place during the ceremony. Sometimes I have to wonder how he can share the DNA of Admiral Stryker."

"I know there was a class devoted exclusively to his career during the Cylon War when I attended Aquaria Military," Stotland said.

Wallace's eyebrows rose in surprise, "You attended Aquaria Military?"

"My parents wanted me to attend Abry since it was on Caprica but I wanted to go to school on a colony other than the one I was born on."

"One day we'll have to sit down and exchange stories of attending AMA," Wallace said using the initials for Aquaria Military.

"I'd like that," Stotland said before taking a deep breath and releasing it. "By this I was supposed to be overseeing the inactivation of Tactical on the _Stryker_ before heading to the Battlestar _Hood_ for its shakedown cruise."

**Amasen, Marine Quarters:**

The Marine Detachment section of Amasen contained many of the areas that would be needed for the Marines stationed onboard to keep their weapons skills sharp as well as stay in shape in case the station was ever boarded. There were surveillance rooms so the Marines assigned to guard duty could check different areas of the station for possible trouble, and a fully stocked armory at their disposal with weaponry and body armor for a possible riot.

"Do you think the Lieutenant is expecting trouble with the civilians?" Private Montague Wood asked as he settled down on his bunk.

"She probably expects that it could happen, otherwise I don't think she'd have been chosen for the job," Private Benjamin Ray said.

"Truth is, we have no idea how those civilians are going to act now that they're on this station," Private Gideon Elliott said as he walked over to where the two were talking.

"I heard some of the people from the _Stryker_ were part of some anti-war protest," Private First Class Albert Baylis said.

"Baylis, you came over from the _Stryker_. Did their opinion change once they were on the ship?" Corporal Charles Argent asked. Unlike Baylis and other Marines from the _Stryker,_ he had come over from the cruiser _Triton Island_.

"I think most of us wanted to send them out the nearest airlock," Private Roy Grainger said with an audible scoff. "They kept complaining about their accommodations and just acted like a bunch of spoiled brats!"

"In that case you should have put them somewhere and gave them bread and water until they appreciated things better," Ray said.

"Tempting as that may have been we had orders to keep them comfortable. I think Commander Cyprian didn't want to give them and Carl Stryker any more ammunition to use," Grainger said.

"Not everyone we brought onboard from the ceremony was from the protest. I think we're all doing our best to make sense of what the Cylons have done to us," Baylis said.

"The fact is that there's no telling what Mister Stryker and his peace-loving friends may try to do now that they're on here with us," Elliott added.

"I think Major Wallace may be able to do something about that," Grainger replied immediately.

"That could make us a bit uncomfortable, having to answer to an officer from the Ministry of Intelligence," Argent said.

"I think he'll be able to get the job done, it's just that the MoI carries a certain stereotype," Ray said.

"I doubt Commander Cyprian would have put him in charge if he didn't trust him," Private Kenneth Lunnon said as he walked over to where the group had gathered.

Elliott shrugged. "Could be that he simply didn't have a choice in the matter."

"Perhaps or it could just be that he felt Wallace was the best man for the job. I think the fact that he is so close to the Stryker family speaks volumes about him," Ray said.

"I heard he flew a Viper Mark I onto the _Stryker_ when he arrived for the decommissioning ceremony," Baylis said.

"I'd have loved to have seen that, I had a friend from high school who attended Abry Military Academy and become a Viper pilot on the _Dauntless_ and he always commented that there was nothing like flying a Viper," Argent said.

"When I was stationed on Scorpia I drew guard duty at Fort Autzen to make sure nobody tried to steal equipment from the Vipers," Lunnon said.

"Marines, I want you to knock off that chatter," a figure standing in the hatchway said in a booming voice.

The Marines turned to see Gunnery Sergeant Ivy Bullard standing there eyeing them.

"Yes, Gunny," Argent immediately said.

"Lieutenant Socorro is going to have every Marine on this station practice their aim on the firing range, hone your hand-to-hand skills, and brush up on crowd control and procedures for handling riots. I suggest you get some rest, you're going to need it tomorrow."

When she left to go give what would be the same talk to the women in their quarters the men quickly dispersed back to their bunks to get some rest. By the sound of what Bullard had said it seemed Lieutenant Octavia Socorro was going to train them hard.

**_Stryker_, Commanding Officer's Office:**

Colonel Alan Stryker had arrived at Cyprian's office earlier than the 0800 time that had been announced for the meeting. Not long after Stryker's arrival came the arrival of the new heads of Tactical and Communications. Lieutenant Ivan Hirsch was taking the place of Lieutenant Rebekka Stotland as head of Tactical while Ensign Jayne Thatcher would take over for Lieutenant Rajesh Suman as head of Communications.

"Now that I have all of you here," Cyprian said as he laid a map of the Cyrannus System on the table, "The important thing is that we figure the Cylons are guessing where we are. The more we can draw them away from Amasen, the better our chances of survival."

"I think that's a sound tactic," Alan Stryker said.

"Are we going to take the entire task force with us?" Thatcher asked.

Cyprian shook his head. "I intend to leave the cruisers _Auburn, Tarrant_, and _Triton Island_ here to provide extra firepower in case the Cylons do show up. We'll keep the frigates _Somerset, Stroude, Argyll, Tamar, Eurydice_, and _Ulster_ with us to provide extra flak to keep the Cylon Raiders from getting in too close to launch attacks against us."

"In that case, Commander, when do we leave?" Alan asked.

"We leave within the hour; it's about time we got the _Stryker_ into the fray. This time it will be on our terms," Cyprian said before adding, "Dismissed!"


	6. Chapter 6: Risk and Reward

**Chapter Six: Risk and Reward**

**Amasen, Commanding Officer's Quarters:**

Major Arthur Wallace, the Commanding Officer of the space station 'Amasen', looked over the list of the people due to arrive at the station within the hour. Amasen needed a lot of things to get the station truly up and running. Most important would be a medical staff and a staff of cooks to get the galleys producing meals for the people who would be on the station. While Admiral Stryker had insured the station would be stocked with plenty of MREs and other rations it would not be long until morale among the military and civilians dropped because of the food choices.

The personnel for both departments had come from the cargo ships _Jack J. Pendleton, Joseph F. Merrell, James E. Robinson_, and _Cape Ducato_, the agro-ship _Merak_, and the transport ships _Octavia, Latona_, and _Antheus_. It was hoped that by getting the civilians to volunteer it would lessen the need to draft people from the Colonial Fleet vessels to help fill the void. The only exception to the rule had been the people assigned to oversee the two areas. Dr. Vivian Roberts from the heavy cruiser _Triton Island_ would be in charge of Medical. Petty Officer Raphael Garcia from the _Stryk_er would head the galley staff.

Wallace picked up the two personnel lists to see the medical personnel who had volunteered to serve on the station. 'Dr. Adrian Forrester, Dr. Lillian Wilcox, Anna Stamers, Gladys Chapman, Mary Sampson, Rena McLean, Mary McKenzie, Jessica Keeling, Margaret Fraser, Charlotte Bowen, Alexia Dussault, Carole Douglas, Christina Campbell, Frederick Craven, Philip Hooper, and Dennis Bergin are going to making up our medical staff here. It would appear we had more volunteers than even I expected.'

The list was impressive and he was sure there would be just as many galley personnel who would soon be boarding the station. One thing he would like to have right now was dinner, and he _knew _which officer he wanted to keep him company. He looked at the clock on the wall and realized that it would not be long until his dinner date would arrive.

Minutes later, Lieutenant Rebekka Stotland entered the quarters after just having finished her shift in the base's CIC. She was hoping to go to her stateroom and get some rest but when her presence was requested in the CO's quarters, she knew she could not refuse it.

"Hello," she said as she walked into the room.

"Glad you could make it," Wallace, the Commanding Officer of Amasen, said as he walked out of a door on the far side of the room.

"One doesn't refuse an invitation from the CO," Stotland replied.

"I know you just finished your watch in the CIC. I took the liberty of ordering dinner from the galley; I'd love for you to join me."

"Let me guess, you're the type who doesn't like to be left alone."

"I'm more than capable of eating alone, but I would like to get to know my officers better. It seems that dinner is as an appropriate meal as any."

Stotland walked over and took a seat on a nearby sofa. "I don't suppose any harm could come of that."

"Excellent," Wallace said as he took a seat in a chair that was opposite the sofa.

"It's strange, in a way I am still trying to get used to the idea that my CO is a spy."

"I was a spy, but with the Ministry of Intelligence being destroyed, it was time for me to find a new career."

Stotland let out a chuckle. "Sorry, that was kind of funny! I have to ask though, what was it like being with the MoI?"

Wallace was quiet, as though he was trying to find the right words. "It was unlike anything I thought I would experience. Truth is, it wasn't my first choice. I had wanted to pursue a career in the Colonial Fleet."

"If that's the case, why did you choose the Ministry of Intelligence?"

"Admiral Stryker convinced me that I would do more good for the Colonies if I were in the MoI."

Stotland's curiosity got the better of her, "You must have a lot of history with the Stryker family, I remember when I first toured the campus of Aquaria Military and right there at the front of the campus was the large bronze statue of Admiral Stryker."

Wallace leaned in closer as though he was about to tell her some type of secret. "Just between the two of us, he wasn't a big fan of that statue. Truthfully, he wasn't fond of the monuments and accolades given to him. As far as he was concerned, he was a military man who simply did his duty."

"In that case having a battlestar named after him must have made him uncomfortable," Stotland said as her mind processed the new information that Wallace had given her.

Wallace laughed. "I don't think there are enough words in our language to describe how unhappy he was."

"Let me ask you this, if he was so unhappy about it why did he allow it to happen?"

"Ultimately, he realized that the people still saw him as this heroic figure that came to the rescue of all twelve colonies. I think he realized that people need their heroes even if he didn't view himself that way."

Stotland was quiet for a moment before she said, "I can only imagine what you witnessed the day he found out about the _Stryker_ being named for him."

"It's all written down in this letter he had written to his wife in the years after the war."

Stotland's eyes immediately widened with surprise at this revelation. "You have a letter from Admiral Stryker?"

Wallace reached into a nearby desk drawer and pulled out a letter that seemed to have lost some of its white color with age "If you look at this entry…"

"Did you forget where it was located?" she teased.

"Here you are," he said as he handed the letter to her, "This letter is from eighteen years ago and it shows his thoughts on the subject."

Wallace sat there and watched as she read the entry from the letter. Her face showed a look of complete fascination as she read the words Admiral Stryker had written down those years ago.

"Not to change the subject but did you have someone in your life before the Cylons attacked?" Wallace asked hoping he was not about to touch a topic that would be too sensitive.

Stotland nodded. "I had a boyfriend on Caprica, and he was actually a chef at a restaurant in Caprica City."

"What was his name?"

"Thomas Farrington, he was the head chef at Hecla, and we had dated for about two years give or take. We had actually moved in together, we had an apartment in Altamonte Springs."

"You were for all intents and purposes married to a chef; I suppose you were only with him because he knew how to cook," Wallace teased.

"Not only that but he was a chef who liked to experiment with different styles."

Wallace could not help but be curious. "What kind of experimenting are we talking about?"

"He liked to cross two different types of cooking to see what he could come up with. He once tried to do a cross of Aquarian seafood with Gemenese cuisine."

"Wow," Wallace said as he tried to imagine a dish like that before saying, "Sounds like he was the type to live dangerously."

"You think he lived dangerously, I was the one who usually had to try it so I could tell him how well he did!"

The two started laughing before a comfortable silence fell between them.

"I needed this," she said quietly, "It feels like an eternity since I last laughed."

Wallace smiled at her, "You should do it more often, it makes your face light up."

"I'll try to do it more often. It just feels wrong to be happy when there is so much misery out there."

"Rebekka," Wallace said gently, "The best way we can honor those who lost their lives is to continue living and enjoy the life we still have."

There was a knock on the hatch and in stepped two women in medical scrubs.

"You have me at a disadvantage," Wallace said.

"Forgive the interruption," the woman said before introducing herself, "I'm Dr. Lillian Wilcox and this is Alexia Dussault, she's the nurse who will be assisting me."

"Assisting you with what?" Wallace asked.

"Commander Cyprian was very insistent that all personnel on Amasen be given a physical to make sure that they are fit for duty," Wilcox said.

"He does realize that I am in charge and that he has no authority here," Wallace replied.

"He sent Dr. Forrester and me instructions on what we were to do once we boarded the station. Our staff has gotten Medical up and running. I thought it would be best that I come and find you to administer your physical. He also said that if you were to refuse then I should have the Marines relieve you of duty and confine you to quarters until you agreed."

"It was nice visiting with you, Arthur, but I'm going to go to my quarters and get some rest…after I report to Medical for my physical," Stotland said as she made a quick exit from the room.

'Cyprian, you are only doing this to get me back for belaying your every order,' Wallace thought before saying, "Very well, Doc, let's make this as quick and painless as we can."

Wilcox was an older woman who looked every bit the part of a no-nonsense type of doctor. He realized there was little to no chance he would enjoy this if she was the one administering it, though he hid his displeasure for a number of reasons.

At least the nurse she brought along was cute, a silver lining to the situation he was in now. He also thought of the ways he would repay Cyprian for this.

**Albinus System:**

**Battlestar **_**Stryker**_**: **

**War Room: **

"This information appears to be genuine," Commander Jerome Cyprian said to the two officers with him in the _Stryker_'s War Room.

"Absolutely," Lieutenant Ivan Hirsch said.

"If we take out that communications relay it should disrupt the Cylons long enough for us to conduct operations in other areas of the system," Colonel Alan Stryker said.

"If we're going to commit the _Stryker_ to an action against the Cylons, I want to know it's going to be for a good reason. If we lose pilots because of this there's no replacements coming our way," Cyprian said as he tried to be cautious, but not come across as being afraid of committing.

"From what Major Artemisia has said, it sounds as though the air group has trained to the point where they'll do well if we have to fight," Hirsch said.

"Commander, it looks like you're pondering something," Colonel Alan Stryker, the ship's XO, said after he had observed the look on Cyprian's face.

"Yes I am," Cyprian said as he stroked his chin in thought, "Instead of destroying this communications buoy we can perhaps tap into it and see what we can learn about the Cylon movements."

"Do you think that would work? I imagine the Cylons could easily figure out the buoy had been tapped," Stryker said.

"Even so, it would at least give us some intel that we could put to good use. We would at least enjoy some knowledge of their plans instead of groping around in the dark," Cyprian said before turning his attention to Hirsch. "Mister Hirsch, who is the officer of the deck in CIC?"

"Lieutenant Charles Blane," Stryker answered.

"Have him send word to Major Artemisia to have a Raptor ready for take-off and send me two of the personnel from Communications. Mister Hirsch, I want you to pick four members from Tactical to assist you with your task. I want you to find a way to gain access to the interior of the buoy so we can get a wiretap in place," Cyprian said to his officers and to his delight, they immediately responded.

**Two Hours, Twenty-three Minutes Later: **

_**Stryker**_**, Hangar Deck: **

**Raptor 453: **

Lieutenant Carmelo 'Melo' Conti stood off to the side of the hangar deck as the deck gang went through the last stages of prepping his Raptor for launch.

"Hey, Melo, are the knuckle draggers done with our ride?" Lieutenant Jeremiah 'Candy Man' Greene, Conti's ECO, said as he stepped out of a nearby hatch.

"Almost. But I haven't seen our passengers," Conti said as he looked around the bustling hangar deck to see if the team designated for the buoy had shown up. By the look of things, it appeared they had yet to arrive.

"Tell me again how the CAG chose us for this operation?" Greene asked.

"I think we drew the short straw when she chose the Raptor; or it could be from before the decommissioning ceremony, when you made that joke about Capricans."

"Oh," Greene said before adding, "I didn't think she'd have taken it quite that personally. People make fun of the Capricans about as much as they do the Gemenonese or the Sagittarons."

"True, but it didn't help our cause any and now here we are getting ready to leave the safety of our ship to transport a group of amateur cable repairmen."

"Well, Lieutenant, I wouldn't go so far as to call us amateur," a man's voice called out behind them.

"Sorry, sir, didn't realize you were behind me," Conti said as he turned to face the man who appeared to be in charge of the group heading out to the buoy.

"No worries. I admit this plan is a bit far-fetched but if it works we'll get a treasure trove of data. I'm Lieutenant Ivan Hirsch, and I'm in charge of these rogues."

"Lieutenant Carmelo Conti and this is Lieutenant Jeremiah Greene," Conti said as he motioned to where Greene was standing.

"Major Artemisia highly recommended you for this; she said you would do fine as long as Lieutenant Greene doesn't make any horrible jokes. I think when this is over I'll find out exactly what it is he has against Capricans," Hirsch said and took a small amount of delight at watching Greene become uncomfortable at the mention.

"Who are your friends?" Conti asked.

"Ensigns Sybil Roman, Bethany Hale, Albert Randall will be assisting me with this project along with Specialists Arne Narvig, Fritz Latzel, and Alvin Emerson. Now that we have the introductions out of the way, the sooner we get started on this project the better. When do we board?"

Conti looked over where Senior Chief Benoit Saunier finished checking over the Raptor and gave him a thumbs-up, "Looks like we're ready to go."

"Let's get on board, the sooner we start this project the sooner we can finish it," Hirsch said to his group as they began to make their way towards the Raptor.

**CIC: **

"Commander, Raptor 453 has taken off from the port flight pod," Ensign Edmond Mariano announced from Tactical.

"Very good, all that's left for us to do now is wait and see what happens," Cyprian said to Colonel Stryker.

"It's a risky move but you're right about the rewards outweighing the risks," Stryker admitted.

"Great work on the positive reinforcement XO," Cyprian said as he saw the Raptor's DRADIS signature appear on the screen.

As he watched the Raptor move closer to the buoy, Cyprian could not help but notice that the CIC was somewhat quiet. He would not have been surprised if he had turned around and saw the eyes of the CIC staff focused on the DRADIS screen also.

'Perhaps they're certain the Cylons are going to show up at any moment and make us all dead,' Cyprian thought sardonically. He found his thoughts drifting momentarily as he thought of his parents and wondered what they would think if they could see where he was now.

Ryan and Adria Cyprian both were natives of Gemenon and had recently graduated from the University of Oranu when the Cylons revolted against humanity. The two had taken commissions as officers of the Gemenon Army, which became part of the Colonial Army after the Articles of Colonization had been ratified. Only one of them would ultimately survive the war. Adria Cyprian lost her life on Tauron during the Tauron City Blitz as she assisted in escorting members of the Phaulkon family out of the city.

His father had remarried and the family had settled on Caprica, and while he may not have always been the most religious of people, Cyprian did try to honor the customs of his heritage as best he could.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Cyprian focused on the present instead of the last forty-four years of his life. He looked up at the DRADIS screen and saw that the Raptor had reached the buoy. The critical phase of the mission was about to begin.

"This is Raptor 453, we have reached communications buoy and am now depressurizing cabin," Conti's voice said over the speaker at Command and Control.

"Raptor 453 this is Actual, take your time and don't rush to get the job done. As long as the Cylons don't know we're here we'll be fine. Besides, there's no telling if the toasters booby-trapped these things," Cyprian said.

"Are you sure that was a good idea, do you think that might make them more nervous?" Stryker asked.

Cyprian shook his head, "It's my prerogative as a commander, I'd rather know that I informed them of the possibility than leave the thing to chance."

**Amasen, Officers Quarters: **

One of the perks of being in charge of the Tactical and Communications divisions meant that both Lieutenant Rebekka Stotland and Lieutenant Rajesh Suman got private quarters with a small office area.

"Looks like we were among the few officers Commander Cyprian could spare," Suman said and he waited for Stotland to say something.

"Yeah," she said though it seemed obvious her mind was somewhere else.

"Would you rather be here or on the _Stryker_?" he asked.

"At first I thought I'd have rather been on the _Stryker_ but truth is…I am starting to really like it here on the station."

"Catching the eye of a certain MoI officer hasn't hurt either," he teased.

"How'd you know that?" she asked, neither confirming nor denying that there was some truth to his statement.

"The fact that you spent I don't know how long up in his quarters with him when your shift ended. I have to say you are doing well in establishing some staying power."

"I didn't think that tidbit of information would have gotten around the station that quickly," she said and then laughed.

"You're in charge of Tactical and I'm in charge of Communications. Let's just say I'm a very good Communications Officer," Suman said with no small amount of pride.

"Let's just say that while we're not a couple there are some sparks there. I'd love to see where it leads," she said.

"Moving on kind of quickly aren't you?" Suman said. The two of them had known each other well during their deployment on the_ Stryker,_ and he knew about her boyfriend.

"I have to move on; otherwise I may drown in my misery. The Cylons took away everything and everyone I loved. In a way, moving on with my life and enjoying what days I have left is one last act of defiance against those metal bastards."

Suman was quiet for some time before he finally said, "If they had waited just a few more days I'd have died on Caprica."

"I know, you were so excited to leave the Fleet and become the owner of that Caprica Beach bar your uncle had left you."

"I was going to have a new life and it was going to be a good one, to go from being an officer on a battlestar to being the owner of a bar on the beach was something that I was thrilled about. I can only imagine how Caprica Beach looks now."

Stotland let out a deep breath, "It probably got blown all the way to Hades and back I'm sure, from the images we did get it looks like the Cylons did a number on it. You know what, Raj; you were so ready to get out of the military that I had to wonder if you ever really enjoyed it."

"Truth was, I never wanted to be in the military but it was all thanks to the Honorable Judge Broderick Kaufman. When I got in trouble for vandalizing the Queenstown War Memorial, he offered me the chance to attend Abry Military Academy instead of going to jail. He had apparently served in the Fleet during the Cylon War and thought the Colonial Fleet would do me some good."

"That's right; your family was from Queenstown, have you heard anything about them?"

Suman shook his head, "Kumari was probably at City Hall for another day of work as a filing clerk, my sister was always dedicated when it came to her job. Mom was probably at home waiting for another postcard from some place I had visited while on the _Stryker_. As for my dad, he was with the inmates at Heleo Federal Prison so I don't have much hope that they survived."

"Yeah…" Stotland said before deciding to change the subject, "About Judge Kaufman, how did he take the news that you were leaving the Fleet."

Suman replied with, "The funny thing is that when I learned that Uncle Anish had left me his bar in his Will I went to Picon and asked Kaufman for his blessing to leave the Fleet and take over the bar. He had no problem with it and I think he appreciated the fact that I came to him to ask his permission. I may not have been entirely happy with how I ended up in the Fleet. I took the opportunity he gave me seriously and I tried to make him proud of me. It was almost like he was another father to me."

"I'm sure Arthur appreciates having you here to help him get this station up and running," Stotland said hoping that the words of encouragement would help take his mind off of his family.

"So it's Arthur now, is it?" Suman said once again teasing her.

"He's a nice guy once you get to know him. _G_ive him time and I think you'll see what he's capable of," she said.

Suman pulled the privacy curtain on his bunk, "Perhaps, but I don't think it's going to happen tonight. I am going to get some sleep. If by some chance he does show us what he's capable of let me know so I can wake up and cheer him on!"

"Goodnight, Lieutenant Smartass," Stotland said as she also pulled her privacy curtain so that she could get some sleep.

**Amasen, Commanding Officer's Quarters: **

Arthur Wallace was having a hard time with sleep, and after many minutes of tossing and turning in his bed he finally gave up and decided that his mind was simply not going to allow him to rest. Maybe later he could sleep, but right now that simply was not going to happen.

He walked over to the refrigerator and removed a bottle of water. He looked at the plastic bottle and noticed the labeling claimed that the water was from Tavani Springs on Aquaria. It made sense that for Admiral Stryker to have his base supplied with items from his home colony.

He looked out the window towards the Little Big Horn Nebula and he tried to picture how it must have looked all that time ago during the Cylon War when the Seventh Fleet met its doom at the hands of the Cylons. He wondered what it must have been like on those ships as they fought to their last, if the toasters found this base would the situation be similar?

He needed to clear his head and get away briefly. Colonel Bradford was on duty in the CIC and had control of the station so there was really no reason for him not to get away. Picking up the phone receiver on his desk and he sent word down to the hangar to have a Raptor ready for him to use within half an hour. Maybe a flight was what he needed to clear his head; he certainly did not see how it could do him any harm.

_**Stryker**_**, CIC: **

"Commander, we're getting a distress call from Cruiser Group 184," Ensign Darrel Woodside announced from Communications.

"Where is the distress signal originating from and what does the message say?" Cyprian asked.

"It would appear that they are under attack from the Cylons and are attempting to save a civilian convoy out in the Abalon System," Woodside reported.

"Tactical, I want a printout of the makeup of CG 184," Cyprian ordered and he mentally began to think out his options. Right now, it was imperative to save as many lives as possible but would he be doing the same thing his former XO, Colonel Cecil Bradford, had done and put the _Stryker _in the middle of a Cylon trap.

"I'm on it, Sir," Lieutenant Ernest Thompson said as he forwarded the appropriate information to Cyprian at Command and Control.

He looked over the printout at the names and classes of the ships that made up the cruiser group. The heavy cruisers _Macon, Alvand, Helvetia, Waratah, Balmoral, Trevenion, Dimitrios_, and _Cymric_ were paired up with the light cruisers _Hansa, Helcion, Jarena, Skagen, Darian, Orissa, Parviz, Tabora_, and _Umbria._ Providing an outer ring of support for the cruisers were the faststars _Treutlen, Sumter, Haralson, Durik, Bayard, Cebrene, Halsted, Echols, Oconee, Catoosa, Candler, Colquitt,_ and _Talbot._

On paper, it provided a powerful punch that could hold the enemy off at least for a short period; eventually they would need the heavy guns and Vipers of a battlestar to stand a chance against the Cylons. Cyprian examined the list and saw that Rear Admiral Percival Sherbrook was in command of the group and was using the _Macon_ as his flagship.

"Mister Thompson, send a coded message to the cruiser _Macon_ requesting Colonial Fleet recognition codes," Cyprian said and for a moment, he wondered if he was endangering his ship by sending such a message. There was honestly no way of telling if the Cylons had access to the recognition codes.

Moments later the Communications console blinked that it had received a message and it was then that Woodside said, "Commander, we received the recognition codes and they are authentic.

He knew he was taking a risk but he knew what he needed to do, "Send word to Lieutenant Conti that we are jumping away to answer a call for help but we will return. I want Major Artemisia to have the air group ready to launch, I think our help is going to be needed."

"I'm on it, sir," Woodside said.

Cyprian nodded and turned to Thompson. "I want Condition One set throughout the ship."

Thompson immediately picked up a handset. "Action Stations! Action Stations! Set Condition One throughout the ship!"

**Amasen, Hangar Bay One: **

"Is everything ready to go?" Wallace asked as he walked to where the Raptor he had requested was being readied for launch.

"Every system has been double checked, triple checked, and if that doesn't reassure you enough we can always go for the quadruple check," Chief Alice Johnston said as she stepped away from a diagnostic console that showed the Raptor's systems were all in the green and showing to be in excellent operating condition.

"Knowing you went for the triple-check proved that you don't hold too much of a grudge against me for moving you from the _Stryker_," Wallace said as he stared at the screen and digested the information.

"I admit I wasn't too thrilled with it. Commander Cyprian transferred me, but here I am, and I intend to make the best of it," she said.

"I know it may sound a bit cliché, but you proved your worth to me back there when we had to strip that salvage company and leave before the Cylons showed up. You may not believe it, but others may not have handled the pressure as well as you did."

"Thank you for the compliment, and hopefully in time I can get more of a deck gang than what I have now. Sure you can't ask for volunteers from the civilian ships?"

Wallace smiled. "When I get back from my trip that will be one of the first things I take care of. After all, without a functioning deck department nothing will really get done around here."

"Nice to be so highly thought of. Have a safe flight, Major. My people will be waiting for your return," Johnston said as she stepped away and motioned for her deck gang to prepare the Raptor for launch.

"Have room for a passenger?" a woman's voice called out from across the hangar bay.

Wallace looked and saw that it was Stotland. "I believe I can squeeze you in for this trip."

She picked up her pace and quickly made her way to the Raptor, "I was hoping so, and Raj's snoring was getting to be unbearable!"

Minutes later, the Wallace activated the Raptor's thrusters and the craft and began to make its way toward the Little Big Horn Nebula. He thought about the time he had spent reading Stryker's journal before he had decided to come down here to check on his Raptor being prepped. There had to be more than just Amasen here. He was certain that Stryker had planned for more. If his instincts were right, there was something in the journal that would lead him to another asset. If there was no such find, at least the trip in the Raptor would give him a little peace of mind in a time when there was little to be found.

"So you were having trouble sleeping?" Wallace asked.

Stotland nodded, "My mind was in more than one place tonight and when I finally got past that it was too late for me to escape Raj's snoring."

"I think in this case I'll assign him private quarters so that he won't keep you awake at night, you're no good to me if you're not rested."

"Well, Arthur, I'm glad you're taking my well-being so seriously. Does this mean that I'll get my own set of private quarters?" she teased.

"Spend more time around me and you may end up getting move up to the same level as my quarters."

"I take it that's because I'm such great company."

Wallace looked over at her, "Well, you did seem to be enjoying our conversation before we were so rudely interrupted."

"Yes it was a nice conversation; perhaps sometime in the future we could have more of those," she said.

"Perhaps we can; does that mean you may have more than a professional interest?"

She flashed him a coy smile. "Keeping you guessing is fun but you won't have to worry, the last thing I'll do is drag you along for too long. Just know that there may be an interest on my part."

"When we get back from this little excursion we'll head back to my quarters and discuss this in more detail."

"You won't hear me complain about that; but first we should investigate this nebula you seem to be leading us closer and closer to…just a suggestion."

He deftly maneuvered the Raptor closer to the nebula, and from a distance, it looked as though there was nothing in there, but something in the back of his mind told him that a closer look was required.

As the Raptor entered the edge of the nebula, he slowed his rate of speed so that if there were something here for him to find he would not smash into it. Minutes ticked by and it felt as if he had gone deeper in the nebula than he thought he would have, when through the window he saw a large complex. It looked as though it was two large drydocks with smaller facilities built around them. In his mind to call it a huge discovery would be akin to saying that Canceron had a small crime problem.

He stopped the Raptor and mentally recalled what he had read in Admiral Stryker's journal. The man had written extensively about not only his time leading the Colonial Fleet during the Cylon War but also of his attempts to prepare a secret refuge in case the Cylons came back to try to exterminate humanity.

"Gods, look off in the distance…is that a shipyard behind it?" Stotland asked.

Wallace moved the Raptor past the drydocks and saw a shipyard complex that seemed from the outside to be ready to be put to use.

"That's a shipyard, with all the facilities needed to make it functional," Wallace said as he took in the sight through the window of the Raptor.

It was a stroke of brilliance that Stryker was able to prepare so thoroughly for the return of the Cylons. The brilliance of his plans made the fact that his warnings went unheeded and even mocked in some circles all the more tragic. If only those in power had listened to him instead of dismissing him as an old man who had been shell-shocked into craziness.

"I'll make sure we don't waste the work you did for us," Wallace said as he opened the journal to search for an entry that may have dealt with how he managed to have a drydock facility hidden in a nebula where none could find it unless they were looking for it.

"What do you plan on doing?" Stotland asked.

"I'm going to dock with the shipyard and see if it's possible to activate the atmospheric systems," Wallace said.

"You know how to show a girl a first date she'll never forget," she quipped.

Wallace smiled at her, "I've prided myself on being anything but ordinary."

**Abalon System: **

In a brilliant flash of light, the_ Stryker_ emerged at the outer edge of the Abalon System. There were three Cylon baseships attempting to break the line of cruisers and faststars that were keeping a convoy of civilian ships from being destroyed.

Raiders from the baseships zipped around trying to get around the impressive opposition screen the cruisers projected. The ships themselves were showing signs of battle and there was a strong chance that, if the _Stryker_ had not shown up then the battle line would break and the civilians would be destroyed along with the Colonial Fleet ships. Among the cruisers was a mix of Vipers and Raptors from the nearby wrecked battlestars _Renown_ and _Repulse_. The combined effort of the air group and the Colonial Fleet ships appeared to be keeping the civilian ships safe for the time being.

**CIC: **

"Inform the turret captains that I want the axis of the baseships targeted, have the flak guns ready to send up a screen to keep the Raiders away from us, and launch Viper Squadrons One through Three, but have Squadron Four held in reserve in case it's needed," Cyprian called out.

"Commander, I can confirm the presence of Vipers and Raptors from the battlestars _Renown_ and _Repulse_," Thompson announced.

"That explains why there are so many cruisers and faststars," Stryker said.

Cyprian nodded, "They must have encountered the Cylons and launched their air groups before the toasters destroyed them. I wonder how come they're still in the fight."

Stryker was quiet for a moment before he said, "Perhaps their CNP was disengaged. At this point in the fight, word probably got around to the surviving battlestars to deactivate it before encountering the Cylons."

"Good point," Cyprian said before turning his attention to Woodside, "Open a channel to the flyers out there."

"Finding their frequency and…go ahead, Commander," Woodside said.

Cyprian picked up the handset at Command and Control, "Attention, _Repulse_ and _Renown_ air groups, this is Commander Jerome Cyprian of the Battlestar_ Stryker_. We are coming to your aid against the Cylons. If you need to land, then our decks are available for your use."

Immediately a voice crackled over the line, "_Stryker_ Actual, this Captain Royce Blackwell from the _Renown._ You and your ship are a sight for sore eyes!"

"Actual, this is Lieutenant Dallas Avery of the _Repulse_. My pilots and I will be more than happy to take you up on your offer!"

"The_ Repulse_ air group must be hurting if a lieutenant is in charge of the pilots," Stryker said.

Cyprian could not help but agree. "That's the crazy thing about this war; it creates a lot of opportunities for moving up the ranks."

"Vipers are ready to launch on your order," Thompson announced.

"Launch the squadrons and have them draw some fire so the _Repulse_ and _Renown_ pilots can get back here to us. Give the turret captains permission to start firing at the baseships, the targeting will be at their discretion," Cyprian ordered and was pleased to see Thompson immediately sending his orders.

"It's nice to be on the offensive instead of just running from them," Stryker said.

Cyprian allowed a smile before saying, "We can do enough offensively to keep them off balance but we have to be careful with how we fight. The last thing I want to do is throw our lives away in a battle we can't win."

Stryker laughed, "If you ever make that mistake just remember what my father used to say, 'A man can die only once.'"

"It's comforting to know that if I ever make a mistake like then I can rest assured I will never do it again."

**Viper Squadron One: **

The moment the Vipers left their launch tubes, they began to make their way toward the melee where they hoped they would be able to help turn the tide of the battle.

Major Irene 'Huntress' Artemisia, the _Stryker_'s CAG, looked out her cockpit window and watched the sight of the ongoing battle get closer. This was the second time in recent memory that she and her pilots had been brought into combat. Considering the pilots that were lost at Ostarsis when they tangled with the Cylons…it would not hurt for her to hope that they would have a better outcome.

"Let's get in there and give the Cylons some payback," she said into her helmet's wireless set.

"After what happened at Ostarsis I'm eager to show them what we can do," Lieutenant Woodrow 'Flex' Graham said with his usual brand of confidence.

"Let's not get too carried away Flex, the CAG wants us to take this more seriously than we did Ostarsis," Captain Ryan 'Ray Gun' Eaton, the XO of Viper Squadron One, said with a type of sternness that had not been present before the Cylons had attacked.

"This is our chance for some payback for Ostarsis," Ensign Chelsea 'Two Shots' Ware said after taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. The last time she had seen combat was also at Ostarsis and there were times when could not shake the mental image of her friend's Viper crashing toward to the surface of Ostarsis. Ensign Paul 'Torch' Stryker had been a friend of hers since their Academy days and knowing that either he had been killed or was living on the run from the Cylons was a hard blow for her.

"It'll be different this time around, we at least have some backup for this fight," Ensign Nalani 'Hawk' Haukea added. As she looked at the battle raging in front of them, she felt a sense of relief knowing that they had not only these ships fighting alongside them but also there were also other pilots.

Lieutenant Claudio 'Razor' Roma joined in the conversation with, "When you put it like that those guys are even more of a welcome sight."

"It'd be nice to get some reinforcements on our side and some more civilians to put on that station we found," Lieutenant Grazio 'Condor' Lanciere said.

"We'll worry about that after the battle is over," Artemisia said before adding, "Let's cut the chatter for now; we need to focus on wiping out these toasters."

_**Stryker**_**, CIC: **

Woodside announced, "Commander, Rear Admiral Sherbrook would like to speak with you."

"Good to know he's still in the fight," Cyprian said as he once again picked the receiver up, "This is _Stryker_ Actual."

"Commander Cyprian," the decidedly Caprican-accented voice of Sherbrook said over the receiver, "I am glad to see you were able to make it. When Rear Admiral Shikoba was killed I began to wonder if all was truly lost."

"Well, sir, my crew and I are more than happy to come to your aid," Cyprian responded.

"Should we both make it out of here; I have a bottle of Aquarian rum to share with you. Good hunting, Commander; my ships will give you every ounce of gunnery support we can muster.

"I'll be more than happy to take you up on that; may I ask what happened to Rear Admiral Shikoba."

There was a moment of silence before Sherbrook said, "Her flagship, the _Cymric_ took a hit from a shell and it killed all the personnel in both the CIC and in the Flag CIC."

"That's got to be rough for the crew, how are they coping?" Cyprian asked. He had heard of the skill in which Rear Admiral Aylen Shikoba directed her cruisers during the various war games she had taken part in, an officer of her skill was sorely needed at a time like this.

"One of the officers has taken command of the ship and is using the Auxiliary CIC to keep the ship in the fight. Granted, we're at the point now where retreating is not even an option for us," Sherbrook admitted.

"Your help has showed up so you keep your guns blazing and we'll come in and take care of things on our end."

"You don't have to worry, Commander Cyprian, the last thing I intend to do is look a heavily-armed gift horse in the mouth. Right now, we're trying to give the civilian ships time to get their FTL drives spooled up for jumping. Are there coordinates you want us to plug into our computers?"

If he had doubts about this being a Cylon trap the odds were, he would not have given them the coordinates that would take them to Amasen. Considering all the evidence he had gained since he had jumped into the system it was a safe bet that these new-found friends were telling the truth.

"I'm having the jump coordinates sent to your ships," Cyprian said and he quickly relayed his order to Thompson.

"Thank you, Commander. Enough talking, let's give these Cylons something to remember us by."

"Yes, sir," Cyprian said before the line went dead. He thought of how it was not that long ago he was simply a caretaker overseeing the decommissioning and inactivation of battlestars. Now he was on the frontlines of a war leading a ship into battle. There was one improvement this time around; he did not have to put up with a Ministry of Intelligence officer constantly belaying his orders.

Like a boxer moving in for the opening round, the _Stryker_ began to make its way toward the fray. Its guns began blasting their deadly salvos towards the baseships. The _Renown, Repulse_, and the escorting ships had softened the Cylons up but now it was time for the _Stryker_ to come in and put an end to the battle.


	7. Chapter 7: An Unexpected Turn

**Chapter Seven: An Unexpected Turn**

**Abalon System:**

As the Cylons attempted to close in on the fleeing civilian ships the remnants of the _Repulse_ and _Renown_ battlestar groups put themselves between the Cylons and their prey. Rear Admiral Percival Sherbrook now commanded the remnants of the _Renown_ group from his flagship, the heavy cruiser _Macon_, while Rear Admiral Aylen Shikoba was leading the remnants of the _Repulse_ battlestar group from the heavy cruiser _Cymric_.

The cruisers and faststars were joined by the pilots from both battlestars who had managed to survive the destruction of their various ships. The Vipers were engaged in a dogfight with the Cylon Raiders that would eventually cause the death of the Colonial pilots; they had no battlestars on which to refuel and rearm their Vipers. The Raptors were keeping to the edge of the battle but against the Raiders they would probably not hold up as well as their Viper counterparts.

The center of the battle line consisted of the surviving heavy cruisers _Macon, Cymric, Aransas City, Leipzig_, and _Scotia_ along with the light cruisers _Novara, Shalalth, Ravenscrag_, and _Sulkava_. They were busy lobbing their shells at the Cylon baseships in an attempt to slow them down and the damage was starting to show on the three enemy ships. In spite of the damage, the Cylons kept advancing as though they could brush aside the Colonial cruisers as though they were nothing.

The faststars would have normally been in the battlestar group for the purpose of providing antiaircraft support so that the Cylons would be unable to launch missiles at the battlestar that was being protected. However, with the loss of both the _Renown_ and the _Repulse_ that job was no longer necessary. The faststars had split into two groups to both keep enemy fire from being concentrated on the cruisers as well as provide AA support to keep the ships safe in case a Raider did manage to get a missile through flak screen. On one side of the cruisers were the faststars _Kinzer, Babur, Grozny, Ellinis, Etruria, Karanja, Perseo, Tabora,_ and Aydin. On the other side of the cruisers were the faststars _Jasiri, Sebo, Elswick, Camborne, Nashton, Chisana, Canelo_, and _Muskoda_. When not providing fire and antiaircraft support for the cruisers, the faststars were living up to their names by being the fast attack craft the Colonial Fleet had envisioned for them. So far their strikes had consisted of charging the baseships, launching their missiles at the Cylons, and then quickly banking away before they would have to face the return fire. Fortunately the Tiger class faststars had proven their design was an improvement over the older Clemson class.

**Faststar **_**Etruria**_**, CIC: **

The CIC of the faststar _Etruria_ was hectic as the various personnel worked at their stations with the heightened sense of danger driving them. The fast attack craft were multi-tasking as they attempted to keep the Cylons from advancing further than they had, keep providing the necessary flak screen to keep the Raiders at bay, and manage to launch their hit and run strikes against the baseships.

In the middle of the CIC at Command and Control stood Colonel Conner Leeds reading the latest reports to come in from the ships that made up the part of the task force. He had no idea how long the faststars were going to be able to hold out, but he knew he needed to keep any doubts to himself. The ships were fast and maneuverable but in truth they were not entirely well-suited for a straight up punching match against a Cylon baseship.

"Sir, there's a message coming in from Uptown," Petty Officer Keith Morley announced from the Communications station of the CIC.

"What does Uptown want?" Leeds asked. 'Uptown' was the tactical call sign assigned to the heavy cruiser _Macon_, it was a way for the ships in the task force to communicate without the enemy knowing which particular ship was being referred to.

"He wants us to join White Fang, Spark Plug, and Matchbox in making a running attack between the middle baseship and the one on its starboard side. He also wants to know the status of our supply of short range missiles," Morley said.

Leeds looked at the readout showing just what they had left in their magazines. Before the Cylons had attacked and blown the Colonies to Hades and back, the _Renown_ had stopped at Lampetia Shipyard; the faststars had their magazines filled with ammunition and missiles for a firing test at the Trevor Moon Test Range. Looking at the display he saw they had plenty of the NEXA-754 short range attack missile, he could put those to use and get a small measure of revenge for the destruction the Cylons had caused to his native Virgon.

"Send word to Uptown that High Tower has plenty of missiles and no qualms about using them," he said to Morley.

"So we're going to make a missile run against the baseships?" Lieutenant Colonel Angeline Nichols, Leed's XO, asked as she walked over to Command and Control from her station at Damage Control.

Leeds nodded. "We're going to join the _Kinzer, Babur_, and _Grozny _on a missile attack against two of the baseships."

Nichols let out a short breath. "Gods watch over us."

"Let's hope so; with recent events I think they've kind of been sleeping on the job," Leeds said. He knew Nichols was a devout believer and a product of her being raised on Gemenon, but with all that had taken place he was not too sure if bringing the gods into the conversation was wholly appropriate.

"They may still see us out of the corner of their eye," she said before asking, "Are the other ships ready?"

"Morley, let our three friends know we're ready to proceed whenever they are," he said to the petty officer and then he looked at the display of pilots who were still in the fight.

"Lieutenant Avery, can you hear me?" he said once he picked up the phone receiver that was nearby.

The voice of Lieutenant Dallas 'Champ' Avery came over the line, "Loud and clear, what can my pilots or I do for you?"

"We're about to make a missile run against the middle and starboard baseship, can your pilots help clear us a path?" Leeds asked.

"Affirmative, we'll start bulldozing you a way," Avery said.

"Excellent, just let us know when the way is clear," Leeds said before putting the receiver back into its cradle.

**Viper 7532, Pilot Lieutenant Dallas 'Champ' Avery: **

Avery banked hard to port to avoid a Raider that was charging straight at him. It was a game of Chicken that he had no intention of playing. He used the maneuvering thrusters of his Viper to quickly invert his Viper Mark VII and he fired a barrage of bullets from his guns at the Raider, moments later the Cylon disappeared in a fiery explosion.

'One down, nine thousand more to go,' he thought. He was, of course, exaggerating the number but at this point in time it might as well be true. He was not sure how much longer his pilots could hold out on their own; if it wasn't their ammunition running low it was the fact that their fuel would not hold out forever. Both the _Renown_ and_ Repulse_ were gone and if they could not make it to the _Stryker_ they were as good as dead.

There was no time for him to ponder that now; he had to clear a way for the faststars to make their attack.

"Matador, where are you?" he asked through the radio in his helmet.

"Hey, Champ, I'm coming from behind the _Macon_. I had to take out a toaster that was getting a little too close for Admiral Sherbrook's comfort," the voice of Lieutenant Tomas 'Matador' Rivera said.

"Can you get the rookies from your squadron to clear a path for the faststars to the starboard side?" he asked.

"Sure, let me get these rooks together and then we'll clear a path so wide a battlestar could make that attack and not take a hit," Rivera replied with the usual confident tone that Avery had come to know.

**Viper 5390, Pilot Lieutenant Tomas 'Matador' Rivera:**

Rivera took a quick glance ahead at the field of Raiders and he quickly surmised that if they were able to use their guns accordingly they could probably clear the path that the faststars would need. First, he had to get the remnants of his squadron together. The squadron had lost its commander and he was now in charge of the squadron much like how Lieutenant Avery had to assume overall command of the _Renown_'s air group. He was the last lieutenant left in the squad, the rest were the Ensigns that had come aboard the _Renown_ at the start of its last deployment.

"Okay, rooks, get yourselves untangled and come join me," he said over his helmet radio.

"Copy that, I'm on the way," Ensign Amadon 'Gangster' Sumari replied.

"Matador, what do you have for us?" Ensign Carina 'Snowball' Hill said.

"I was just starting to enjoy playing with these guys," Ensign George 'Daredevil' Shipka said with an almost childish tone.

"Playtime's over; the CAG needs us to clear a path for the faststars to make a missile attack on the basestars, so, Daredevil, you'll get to make more new friends," Rivera said in a tone that sounded like a parent.

"What about me?" Ensign Jana 'Whiplash' Reeves asked.

"I told you that you'd get some action on this deployment, you can't say I lied," Rivera said.

"It's like the toasters just wanted to make sure you were right," she shot back.

"Enough chatter, let's clear a path," Rivera said as the remainder of the squadron joined up with him.

Apart from Daredevil, Whiplash, and Snowball the other pilots joining in were Ensigns Jabid 'Gemini' Ali, Elden 'Wildcat' Kyne, Jorgen 'Shotgun' Tambini, Walter 'Battle Axe' Boone, Roger' Mauler' Scordino, and Lavell 'Moose' Jenkins. The remnants of Viper Squadron Two began plowing through the Cylon Raiders, clearing a wide swath of space that would allow the four faststars to comfortably speed through and launch their missile attack.

**Faststar **_**Etruria**_**, CIC: **

"Sir, the Vipers have cleared enough of a path for us to start the attack," Lieutenant Lorene Rosa announced from Tactical.

"Excellent, let our friends know we're ready to begin the attack," Leeds announced; Morley quickly acknowledged that the message had been sent.

"Helm, lay in a direct course for the two baseships," Leeds ordered and moments later the _Etruria_ began to move at flank speed toward the baseships.

"Ms. Rosa, I want our missiles armed and ready to fire as soon as I give the order," he said.

"Yes, sir, missile crews are loading the missile tubes," she reported.

Leeds looked up at the DRADIS screen, the four faststars were quickly closing in on the baseships. He ran the numbers in his head, and he knew that he had to time it just right if he were to inflict the maximum amount of damage on the Cylons.

He held up the middle and index finger on his left hand as he mentally timed down to when he wanted to give the order, and about seven seconds later he lowered his hand and yelled, "Fire!"

"Missiles away," Rosa announced.

"Come on," he muttered as he watched the missiles make their way toward the baseships.

"Direct hits on both baseships," Rosa announced.

"Yes!" Leeds shouted before ordering, "I want artillery to fire at the baseships as we pass them by.

When all four of the faststars had finished their attack run Leeds let out a sigh of relief. He was not sure how much damage had been done to the Cylons but at this point in the battle inflicting even a little damage was better than none at all.

"Sir, there's a battlestar that's just jumped into the system!" Rosa announced.

"How is that possible, could it be a computer error?" Leeds asked as he looked up at the DRADIS screen and saw the icon representing an unknown battlestar that had just arrived in the system.

"Sir, I just received word from the _Macon_…it's the _Stryker_!" Morley exclaimed.

"Here's to hoping those pilots out there can get to it in time to stay in the fight," Leeds said and he could not help but smile at their apparent salvation.

The arrival of the battlestar _Stryker_ could have easily been seen as a miracle by those desperate crews on the ships and the pilots flying the Vipers and Raptors. The Orion class ship had entered the fray and promptly drew the attention of the Cylons. It had managed to give the cruisers and faststars time to regroup as well as allow the civilian ships more time to put distance between them and their pursuers. The Raiders attempted to close the distance and activate the CNP backdoor that would allow them to power down the newly-arrived battlestar, however with the CNP disengaged the efforts were ultimately futile.

The _Stryker_'s gun turrets came to life as they unleashed their shells at the baseships, adding more damage to the ships. The Vipers exited the launch tubes and began speeding toward the dogfight; it seemed as though the pilots who were already in the battle were getting a much needed shot in the arm with the arrival of the _Stryker_'s pilots. The pilots were now getting their first taste of combat since the encounter with the Cylons at Ostarsis, if there was one thing Major Irene Artemisia had pounded home with her pilots was that this was their chance for both revenge and redemption.

The initial efforts of the _Stryker_'s arrival with the coordinated attacks of the cruisers and faststars paid off as two of the three baseships began to fall back because of the damage that had been dealt.

**Battlestar **_**Stryker**_**, CIC:**

"The birds from the _Renown_ and_ Repulse_ have landed and are in the process of being prepped for launch," Lieutenant Ernest Thompson announced from his station at Tactical.

"Any word from Medical on the pilots' condition to fly?" Cyprian asked Communications.

"Doctor Romani has begun giving the new arrivals clearance to fly and he sent word to assure you that the pilots in need of stimulants will be supplied with them," Ensign Darrel Woodside, the_ Stryker's_ Communications Officer, said.

Cyprian nodded his head. "That's certainly good to know."

Colonel Alan Stryker, the ship's XO, moved in to ask Cyprian, "Just how much trust do you have in this Doctor Romani?"

"Enough to know that he will do what's best for both the ship and its company. If he thinks the pilots cannot fly without being a danger to themselves and their fellow pilots then they won't fly," Cyprian said. He had met Doctor Vasco Romani in the time after he had taken command of the _Stryker_. Romani was among the doctors making up the ship's Medical Department; the two had spoken enough to have developed a decent working relationship.

Stryker let out a short sigh. "I'll take your word for it. The important thing is that we have as many able pilots in this fight as possible."

Woodside called out, "Commander, there's a call coming in for you from the _Cymric_. The ship's doctor needs to have a word with you."

Stryker looked at Cyprian. "I wonder what that could be about"

Cyprian shrugged his shoulders and picked up the receiver. "Only one way to find out."

"_Stryker_ Actual, are you there?" a man's voice said through the receiver.

"This is Actual, what can I do for you, Doctor?"

"Esteban Sandoval, I'm in charge of Medical here on the_ Cymric_. We pulled Rear Admiral Shikoba out of the wreckage of the Flag CIC and she is still alive!"

Cyprian's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That would at least qualify as good news."

"Yes it would, Commander, but I don't think our facilities here are going to be able to give her the care she needs. Can you arrange for her to receive treatment on your ship?"

Cyprian did not hesitate. "Absolutely, do you have any Raptors available to bring her over?"

"We still have a couple of Raptors in operation; I can have her flown over soon."

"You get her moving this way, Doctor. I promise we will have our people ready to tend to her injuries," Cyprian said and with the call over he asked to be connected to Medical.

"Commander Cyprian, what can I do for you?" Dr. David Ryalls asked.

"Hey, Doc, I need you to have a team ready on the hangar deck to transport Rear Admiral Shikoba to Medical for immediate attention. From what I've gathered she was badly injured on her flagship."

"I'll have a team of medtechs ready when she arrives," he said.

Cyprian tried to remain calm as the _Stryker_ shook from the impact on a missile against its hull. 'I'd hate to find out just how many of those we can take.'

"Do you think Admiral Shikoba will have a chance when she gets here?" Stryker asked.

"I'm not sure, but if there's a chance to save a flag officer I'm willing to try," Cyprian said.

"You do realize that you'll no longer be the senior officer if that happens," Stryker said, he was curious as to what Cyprian's response would be.

"I admit I'm winging this and trying to get the best result so perhaps having someone take the lead may not be such a bad idea," Cyprian said before adding, "It wasn't that long ago that I was merely a caretaker for decommissioned ships, seeing combat was the least of my concerns."

"You seem to have found your bearing well enough," Stryker said.

"It wasn't easy, that and having to deal with that insufferable Major Wallace," Cyprian said before realizing who he was talking to, "No offense."

"None taken. I know my family adores Arthur for the most part, but there are those who rarely have anything nice to say about him; and my wife is among that latter group," Stryker said as diplomatically as he could.

Cyprian decided to change the subject. "Looks like the Cylons are starting to pull back; we may be starting to turn the tide."

Stryker looked up at the DRADIS. "Yes but the question is for how long…"

"Long enough for us to retreat back to Amasen I hope; perhaps we have enough ships to form a strong battlestar group," Cyprian commented as he saw two Cylon baseships disappear off the DRADIS.

The loudspeaker at Command and Control crackled as the voice of a man came over the wireless.

"This is Lieutenant Robert Huntington; my Raptor has just left the _Cymric_ with Admiral Shikoba onboard."

Cyprian picked up the receiver. "Lieutenant Huntington, this is _Stryker_ Actual; we'll have a medical team ready in the hangar when you arrive."

"They must have gotten her out of that wreckage pretty damn quickly," Stryker commented.

Cyprian nodded his head. "They want to make sure her life is saved; can't say I fault them for that."

**Heavy Cruiser **_**Macon**_**, Flag CIC: **

Rear Admiral Percival Sherbrook took a hold of the report that had come in from the faststar group and shook his head. "Send word to the faststars to pull away from the line of battle and give the _Stryker_ some damn AA support!"

"Aye, aye, sir, sending the orders now," the officer at Communications said as she began to transmit the order to the faststars.

"Admiral, there's a call coming in for you from the _Cymric_," the Communications officer said.

Sherbrook picked up the receiver. "This is Admiral Sherbrook."

"Admiral, it's Commander Rosenberg from the _Cymric_," the voice of Commander Harold Rosenberg announced.

"Yes, Commander, how are you and your ship holding up?" Sherbrook asked.

"We're holding our own but that last hit did a number on us. We also pulled Admiral Shikoba out of the wreckage of the Flag CIC and we discovered that she is still alive!" Rosenberg exclaimed.

"Well that is good news; is she being treated in sickbay?" Sherbrook asked as he wondered what condition the _Cymric_'s sickbay would be in.

"I've arranged a medical transport over to the _Stryker;_ Commander Cyprian has informed us that he has a medical team ready to tend to her injuries," Rosenberg said.

"Excellent, we've lost enough flag officers in this war so far. Keep me apprised of any developments. If you think your damage is too severe then retreat to the edge of the system," Sherbrook said before putting the receiver back into its cradle.

"Good news or bad news?" Colonel William Ault, Sherbrook's Chief of Staff, asked.

"A mixture of sorts, it depends on if the medical team on the _Stryker_ can save Admiral Shikoba's life," Sherbrook said.

"I did a deployment on the _Stryker_; she's got a quality sickbay," Ault said.

"Any particular reason why you had to use it?" Sherbrook asked.

"Got into a fight with some Viper pilots from the _Leonidas _at a bar on Picon. I had to get a cut stitched up when I got back to the _Stryker_," Ault said.

Sherbrook was going to respond when the _Macon_ shuddered from the impact of a missile.

"This is getting serious," Ault said.

"Understatement. Colonel, the outcome is still very much up in the air," Sherbrook said once he picked himself off of the deck.

"Sir, two of the three baseships have left the battle with severe damage," the officer at Tactical announced.

Sherbrook had only one order to give as he picked up the receiver and pressed the button to transmit. "Attention all ships, this is Admiral Sherbrook, I want all fire concentrated on the central axis of the remaining Cylon baseship!"

Moments after the order had been sent, the guns of the heavy cruisers, light cruisers, faststars, and the _Stryker_ lit up the remaining Cylon baseship until it exploded into two separate pieces as its central axis gave way to the amount of firepower that had been poured into it.

"Baseship has been destroyed!" Ault shouted as the reports of the baseship's demise began to circulate.

A loud cheer arose in the Flag CIC and Sherbrook let his normally reserved formal demeanor down just enough to let a smile come to his face. This was a victory for him and it was one he felt the need to savor.

"Send word to Commander Cyprian that we are ready to jump as soon as he gives us the coordinates," Sherbrook said.

Minutes later the report came from Tactical. "Admiral, I've received the coordinates from the _Stryker_."

Sherbrook nodded, "Excellent, pass them along to the civilian ships and order them to jump with us."

**Ishtar System:**

**Battlestar **_**Stryker **_** CIC: **

"Commander Cyprian, care to explain to me what is going on?" Sherbrook asked once the communications link had been established between the _Stryker_ and the _Macon_.

"Just taking some time to get our bearings before we jump to Amasen," Cyprian said.

"I see, what can you tell me about this Amasen?"

"From what we've discovered so far it was a secret base that Admiral Stryker had constructed either during or immediately after the Cylon War. We discovered it shortly after the Cylons attacked and it's given us a base of operation we can use."

"Sounds like you've been very fortunate," Sherbrook said.

Cyprian could not help but nod. "We've been very fortunate, but we dealt with our share of dangers before we managed to find Amasen."

"I know there are going to be some issues to work out, but it's reassuring to have at least one battlestar with my ships."

"Considering we were about to get underway with the decommissioning of the _Stryker_ when the Cylons hit, it could have been a different story if the toasters had waited just a little bit longer."

"I see where you're coming from, what's the status of Admiral Shikoba?"

Cyprian looked at the papers that had been brought to him and searched for the one from Medical. "Looks like the surgeons are still working on her but at least it means she's still alive."

"I hope she's able to pull through, judging by what she was able to do during the battle she's a capable flag officer, and do you know how many pilots from the _Repulse_ and _Renown_ were able to land on your ship?"

"I haven't heard from the hangar deck crew on that one but I feel safe in saying that most of the pilots were able to get back to us."

"I'm glad there were survivors from those two ships, they fought hard out there against the Cylons; the last thing I'd have wanted to do was leave them behind," Sherbrook said.

"I'll send you the coordinates to Amasen whenever we're ready to jump, right now I want to take the time to get a proper after-action report ready," Cyprian said.

"I'll do the same with my ships and the ones that Admiral Shikoba was in command of, I'll talk to you once all that has been taken care of," Sherwood said.

"I look forward to it, when that's been done then I'll send you the coordinates to Amasen," Cyprian said before the line went dead.

"How did that go?" Stryker asked once Cyprian had put the receiver back into its cradle.

"So far so good, looks like the fighting so far hasn't rattled the man," Cyprian said.

Stryker nodded. "That's something we're going to need if we're going to make it out of here."

Cyprian laughed. "Yeah apart from finding a way to bring your dad back to life and turning back the years until he's the age he was when the Cylon War started."

"Yeah, and that's possible in the world of fiction," Stryker said though part of him wondered what his father would say if he were alive to see how this second war with the Cylons had gone.

**Battlestar **_**Stryker**_**, Hangar Deck, Upper Level: **

Major Irene Artemisia looked down on the celebration taking place on the _Stryker_'s hangar deck below. The deck crew had managed to maneuver the Vipers and Raptors from the _Repulse_ and _Renown_ to create a large space where the _Stryker_'s pilots and deck crew were mingling with the newly arrived pilots in a joyous celebration.

It was a great feeling for her, with all the death that had taken place it was nice for there to be a happy ending of some sort. She knew that if the _Stryker_ had not shown up then these pilots would have eventually been lost to the Cylons. Eventually, they would come to make the _Stryker_ their new home and they could certainly bolster the ranks of the air group.

"You look lonely standing up here," Captain Royce Blackwell of the _Renown_ said as he and another pilot walked toward where she was standing.

"Just taking in the sight," Artemisia admitted as she turned to face the new arrivals, "Major Irene Artemisia, I'm the _Stryker_'s CAG.

"Captain Royce Blackwell," he said and he motioned toward the other pilot walking with him, "This is Lieutenant Dallas Avery of the _Repulse_."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, and I take it you're the senior surviving officers from the _Repulse_ and _Renown_."

"Only because I was assigned to the _Repulse_ on the deployment before Matador joined the ship," Avery said.

Artemisia smiled at them. "I bet the two of you were the first pair of CAGs to find themselves with an air group to command but no ship to land them on."

"Probably hasn't been _any_thing like that since the Cylon War," Blackwell said.

"Well, I wasn't planning on becoming CAG but the toasters were annihilating us out there. I think Major Deffner was one of the first ones to be taken out. From there the higher-ups just kept falling until I finally assumed command," Avery said.

"Well, you got you and your pilots out of there so it looked like the fates smiled down on you," she said.

Avery shrugged. "Would have been nicer to still have a battlestar but I'm not about to be picky."

"Yeah, especially when you think of the alternative," Blackwell offered.

"The two of you can go get a bite to eat and then I'm sure we can find you a rack somewhere so you can get some sleep. Wouldn't surprise me if your bodies start telling you it's time to call it a night any minute now," Artemisia said.

"You won't hear a complaint from me," Blackwell said.

"There's an order I'm not about to disobey," Avery added before starting towards the hatch that would lead them away from the hangar deck.

"I think things are starting to look up for us," she said. Truth of the matter was she could not help but smile. She would have to start working out the logistical issues of where to put the new arrivals but at this time she was just happy to have them here. She would let the celebration go on for just a little bit longer before she tried to restore order; for the time left her pilots had more than earned the chance to let off some steam.

On the hangar deck one of those pilots celebrating was Lieutenant Tomas 'Matador' Rivera, the second most senior pilot to have survived from the _Repulse_. He had made one landing on the _Stryker_ during the battle that allowed him to get his Viper rearmed and refueled before joined in the fray against the Cylons. Now he was back on the _Stryker_. This time, when his Viper was moved into its location and he climbed down the attached ladder, he immediately went down on one knee and thanked the gods as he smiled at the thought of just being alive.

"Welcome aboard," a blonde pilot said as she ran up and gave him a hug.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you too…whoever you are," Rivera said as he hugged her back.

"Ensign Chelsea Ware; you took out that Raider that was tailing me. You saved my ass out there!" Ware said as she released her arms from around him.

"You and your ship pulled my ass out of the fire so I guess we're even," he said when he realized she had the _Stryker_'s patch on her flight uniform.

She was going to say more until a group of her squad mates picked her up on their shoulders and paraded her around the room calling her an ace.

He took in the moment and laughed, his parents on Tauron would have probably laughed at the sight of this combined crew celebrating as though they had just won a battle.

"I see the toasters didn't shoot up your ugly mug," a familiar voice said behind him.

Rivera turned and saw the familiar face of Lieutenant Hollie 'Rancher' Riggs. "I should have known the Cylons wouldn't think you important enough to shoot at."

The two pilots clasped hands before Riggs pulled him in for a one armed hug, "Good to see you were able to make it out of there."

"It was touch and go there for a moment or two, I wasn't sure if you had bought it and gone to that big ranch in the afterlife," Rivera said. Hollie Riggs had come from a family of ranchers on Leonis, hence the reason she had earned her call sign.

"Looks like we have ourselves a new home, what do you think of her?" she asked.

Rivera looked around the bustling hangar deck. "Looks like most other battlestars but maybe there are other perks here we haven't found yet."

"Well maybe there's some luck to it considering who she's named after, "Riggs suggested.

"Gods, I hope so; our last ship didn't seem to do that much better," Rivera said.

The conversation was interrupted by a loud blast of an airhorn from the upper level catwalk of the hangar deck.

"Attention, this is Major Artemisia," the woman announced, "I know we're all happy to be safe here on the _Stryker_, and for the pilots from the _Repulse_ and the _Renown,_ we are thankful to have you on board with us. In a short while the squadron commanders and I will be taking note of whom we have on board. My goal is that you will be integrated into the _Stryker_'s air group so that we can continue to take the fight to the Cylons!"

"I should have guessed the party wasn't going to last forever," Riggs said as the newly arrived pilots began to assemble near the forward end of the hangar bay where the deck gang was in the process of assembling a group of tables.

"At least we got to celebrate a little bit before we were crashed back to reality," Rivera said before adding, "I think we'll be able to get some sleep and in the morning look at our new home in a different light."

"The question is whether that's going to be a good light or not," Riggs said.

"Could be good or it could be bad, but right now the _Stryker_ is the most beautiful ship I ever laid eyes on," Rivera said.

**Two Hours, Eighteen Minutes Later:**

**Space Station Amasen: **

"Looks like more of our systems are being brought online," Colonel Cecil Bradford, XO of Amasen, said as he thumbed through a series of reports that had recently come in.

"The crew is working around the clock in twelve hour shifts to bring every system online," Ensign Bahram Langar, the on-duty Communications Officer, said.

"Any word yet from Chief Johnston?" Bradford asked.

Langar shook his head. "So far nothing new; there are some areas that she's tried to access, but so far no luck."

Bradford shook his head. "Might be something Major Wallace didn't want us to find out about."

"Sir, are you sure he's capable of doing something like that?"

Bradford allowed a wry smile to come to his face. "He's an officer with the Ministry of Intelligence. Gods know what information he could be hiding from us."

"Well it could be one of those cases where he'd have to shoot us if he told us," Langar said and when he noticed that Bradford did not seem to understand the joke, he quickly said, "To go with that old joke about the MoI."

"I know what you were getting at, but in our current situation I'm not too sure if there's not a kernel of truth to it."

"Can I ask you a question, sir?" Langar asked.

Bradford nodded. "Go ahead and ask; it can only help to pass the time by."

"Do you feel safer here on the station or would you rather be back on the _Stryker_?"

Bradford quietly thought it over before replying, "I think we're in equal danger no matter where we are. Whether we're on the _Stryker_ or here on this station we have those metal bastards gunning for us."

"I suppose so, but I personally think we're better off here on the station," Langar said.

Now it was Bradford's turn to ask a question, "Any particular reason why?"

"I was onboard when the Cylons attacked during the decommissioning and then when we fell into that trap at Ostarsis, I think I'd rather stay here where they can't find us for the time being. Besides that, going over those schematics it looks like this station had its armor reinforced and its armaments upgraded. I don't think the Cylons would find it so easy to destroy if they attacked."

"I appreciate the optimism," Bradford said before adding, "The downside is that this station can't jump away and with a large enough force it can be eventually overwhelmed."

"Sir, we have multiple DRADIS contacts appearing outside the nebula," Lieutenant Nicholas Groves announced from Tactical.

"Friendly or not?" Bradford asked.

"I'm getting Colonial Fleet Transponder codes; they're ours!" Groves said with the same excitement he had before.

"I take it that's a good sign," Langar said.

Bradford nodded. "That it is, and looks like Commander Cyprian got lucky on this trip."

"Shall I open up a channel?" Langar asked.

"Yes, Mister Langar," Bradford said as he picked up the receiver and waited for the connection.

"_Stryker_ Actual this is Amasen Actual, can you hear me?" Bradford said.

"I hear you loud and clear, I brought a few friends along with me for the return trip," Cyprian said in a serious tone.

"I look forward to meeting them; anyone I should be happy to meet?" Bradford asked.

"I have Rear Admiral Percival Sherbrook and his flagship _Macon_, he's probably going to meet me on Amasen so have a room ready for us," Cyprian said.

"Having a flag officer will be a change," Bradford said.

"We did have two originally, but I just received word that Rear Admiral Shikoba is out of surgery but is currently unconscious. The doc says she's going to be touch and go the next few days," Cyprian said.

"I'm sorry to hear that and I hope she's able to pull though. If she doesn't, well…we all know that the human cost of this war is going to do nothing but rise," Bradford offered.

"I know we're going to lose people, but if we keep losing our high-ranking officers then we're going to be in trouble."

**Battlestar **_**Stryker**_**, CIC:**

The connection was closed and Cyprian moved the receiver back to its cradle. The _Stryker_ had once again gone into battle against the Cylons but at least this time the result was more in their favor and they had managed to pick up some additional ships along the way. Yes, he had risked his ship answering the call for him but he now had cruisers and pilots to add to his force.

"When are you planning on going over to the station?" Stryker asked.

"I'll wait just a little while. I want to see how much damage the Cylons did and how many people we lost. I'm going to my quarters to start putting together the reports that I'm sure Admiral Sherbrook will want to read. Till then you have the deck," Cyprian said as he left the CIC and made his way down to his quarters.

After he stepped into his quarters he secured the hatch to the room after the Marine standing guard had closed it. He started unbuttoning the buttons on his uniform jacket and when that was done he slipped the jacket off and tossed it onto a nearby chair. He had mixed feelings about what all had just taken place. The arrival of Sherbrook could be a rare blessing and one that he was grateful for. He was glad that they now had a bona fide flag officer who could take overall command of the ships and take on the responsibilities of leading the battle group. The weight of command had taken more of a toll on him than even he was aware of until now.

What kind of officer was Rear Admiral Percival Sherbrook? That was an unknown that tugged at his mind. As much of an aggravation as Major Arthur Wallace was, he felt he had a feel for the way the Ministry of Intelligence officer worked and they were able to least work together somewhat. So far Wallace had not tried to usurp him and take command of the _Stryker_, even though the frakker had a love affair with belaying his every order.

He sat down on his bed and the more he thought about it the more he realized there was little more he could do now than just wait and see how the situation played out. If he were back home he would take his motorcycle for a ride in the country but considering his home was now a nuclear wasteland that was out of the question. He walked over to the closet and pulled out one thing he did manage to bring onboard when he took command of the _Stryker_.

It was an acoustic guitar he had purchased back when he was living on Caprica as a student at Abry Military Academy. His parents had insisted he learn an instrument and the guitar was considered an acceptable compromise. There were times when he felt that playing a few songs could not only relax him but it could also help to clear his mind.

He played a few chords and it was not long until he was going through some of the more recent songs he had learned to play. It would be a few hours until he met with Sherbrook; all he could do was hope for the best. At least things were starting to look brighter for both him and his crew than they were back when the Cylons first made their appearance at the shipyard.

**Forty-Eight Minutes Later:**

**Amasen, Conference Room One-C:**

"Looks like you had your work cut out making this place look presentable," Cyprian said once he stepped into the conference room.

Bradford shrugged his shoulders. "It was the best I could do with the time and resources I had available."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it looks a lot better than it did before," Cyprian said quickly and hoped it would avoid any more hurt feelings between him and his former XO than there already were.

"Something tells me that Admiral Sherbrook isn't going to be all that picky about how the accommodations look," Bradford retorted.

"I'm sure of it," Cyprian said and he decided to change the subject, "Listen, Cecil, about me transferring you here. I know I probably came down hard on you after your trip to Ostarsis.

Cyprian had been on Amasen shortly after its initial discovery when Bradford had taken the _Stryker_ to the resort moon of Ostarsis on what he believed was a rescue mission. Ultimately it was a Cylon trap designed to lure Colonial Fleet ships in so that they could be destroyed. The _Stryker_ escaped, but lost a portion of its Vipers. In the aftermath, Cyprian had come down exceptionally hard on Bradford and had for all intents and purposes banished him to Amasen.

"I think you felt like you were doing the right thing, but I still believe you would have done the same thing I did if you had been in my position."

Cyprian nodded. "I probably would have, but I felt that being in my position means I could not afford to make any mistakes or lose too many pilots to the Cylons. I do want to apologize for how I acted; it wasn't my greatest moment as a Commander or as your friend."

Bradford was quiet for a few moments before he said, "You're right on both counts, but at least you're realizing it. You may actually grow up to be a better CO than you realize."

"Colonel Bradford, you are needed on the hangar deck," Langar's voice announced over the station's main channel.

"I think that means Admiral Sherbrook has arrived; I hope he knows we forgot to pack a red carpet to use for his arrival," Bradford said with a chuckle before he left the room.

Cyprian set down the reports he had prepared to give Sherbrook detailing not only the materiel condition of the _Stryker_ but also its number of crewmembers, pilots, and other pieces of information he would find useful.

He was sitting at the table unaware of how much time had passed when the door suddenly opened and in stepped Rear Admiral Percival Sherbrook. Cyprian immediately stood up at attention and saluted the flag officer.

Sherbrook returned the salute. "As you were Commander Cyprian."

"Thank you, sir," Cyprian said as he took his seat. He looked at Sherbrook and could tell the man was physically tired; his face seemed to be heavy from the fatigue of near constant fighting against the Cylons. There was a part of him that wondered if when the admiral was done with this meeting he would retire to the _Macon_ and sleep for about a week just to get his energy back.

"I'm just waiting for my Chief of Staff to arrive," Sherbrook said; moments after saying that the door to the conference room opened and an officer stepped in carrying a large courier bag. "Commander Cyprian, this is Colonel William Ault, my Chief of Staff, and he's carrying the reports of what has taken place since we started fighting the Cylons.

"I'm eager to read them, I'm sure your survival has been nothing short of a miracle," Cyprian said.

Sherbrook shrugged. "Perhaps but I think it had more to do with luck than anything particularly miraculous."

"I can see where you're coming from on that, so I guess the question is where do we go from here now that your fleet has found my battlestar?"

"The first thing I plan on doing is making your temporary rank of Commander permanent," Sherbrook said and he smiled when he saw the surprised look on Cyprian's face. "Yes, I know you were given a field promotion for the decommissioning and inactivation of the _Stryker_. Now it looks like you won't be going back to the rank of Colonel so you should get used to being called Commander from now on."

"Thank you, sir," Cyprian said before asking, "What are your plans for your flagship?"

"There is a part of me that would love to keep my flag on the _Macon_ but perhaps at some point in time when things are settled I can transfer my flag to the _Stryker_. I wouldn't interfere with your operation of the ship but I think I can coordinate the battlestar group better from an actual battlestar instead of a heavy cruiser. Tell me, what condition are the flag facilities in?"

"Truth be told, they are being used for storage, when I took command of the _Stryker_ there was no need for them so the extra food and items we took on were placed there for storage until they were needed."

"I recommend you get your deck gang moving on clearing those out and restoring them so that I can use them when I'm ready to transfer my flag," Sherbrook said.

"Naturally, and I hope you realize that I want to make this transition as seamless as possible."

"I understand, and I thank you for being a good officer and accommodating me as best you can," Sherbrook said before asking, "If it's all the same, I will have Colonel Ault hold on to your reports so I can read them when I'm back on the _Macon_. Right now, I'd like for you to find Colonel Bradford so I can have a proper tour of this station."

Cyprian nodded and went to a nearby phone so he could call the CIC to page Bradford.

"Who is in command of this station?" Sherbrook asked.

"Major Arthur Wallace from the Ministry of Intelligence," Cyprian said.

Sherbrook shot him a quizzical look. "Why would you put a Ministry of Intelligence officer in charge of this station?"

Cyprian wasted no time in informing him, "Because it was the most effective way to get him off of my ship so he would stop belaying every order I gave."

"Sounds like he's an interesting person to know," Sherbrook said in response.

"Oh that he is, and he seems to know his way around the station well enough. The only real downside is that when he's being an annoyance he's as bad as the people from the two _Stryker_ museums I had to deal with," Cyprian said.

"Ah yes, I heard they were onboard to catalog items they wanted removed before the _Stryker_'s dismantling began. I have to ask, just how bad was it?"

Cyprian thought of something absurd that the museum people were fighting over, "There was a very heated discussion over who got to dismantle the Aviation Jet Shop and reassemble it at their respective museum for that 'authentic battlestar experience'."

"Just how did you survive those…civilians?" Sherbrook asked.

"Read them several versions of the riot act and then dropped them off on this station the first chance I had," Cyprian responded.

"A very wise decision," Sherbrook said approvingly.

"I personally thought it was a genius move on my part, sir."

"Indeed…they fought over the Aviation Jet Shop?" Sherbrook asked with a strong tone of incredulity in his voice.

Cyprian nodded. "I'm not lying about it…just imagine if they had made a go for the Library we have on board the _Stryker_."

"In all honestly, Commander, I have no idea who you pissed off to pull that assignment but I think it's safe to say you got the last laugh."

Cyprian could not help but smile. "Yes sir, I suppose I did."

"Let's finish this tour and find a place on this station where we can get some decent food, I think after all we just went through a bite to eat to celebrate our good fortune is called for."

"I'll have Colonel Bradford get the kitchen to whip something up for you, Admiral," Cyprian said.

**Authors Note: I know it's been some time since I last updated a story, and I want to apologize for the long wait. It wasn't something I had planned but ultimately life happened, as it is so prone to do, but this is the first of the updates as I am working on new chapters for the majority of my main stories. I promise there will be more material coming for your reading pleasure. **

**-Wes**


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